Whispers from the Heart: Messages from Mother

By Laurie Seligman

"When your life seems down to nothing, the universe is up to something."

When author Laurie Seligman learns that she will need a hysterectomy at the age of fifty-one, it is only the beginning of a string of intense physical and emotional challenges including loss of her Mother and lifelong career in the film industry. She shares her journey and steps to manifesting the life and having the career she always longed for.

Whispers from the Heart details Ms.Seligman's personal journey into deeper self acceptance and appreciation. Her various life experiences, the healing gifts she receives from interacting with dolphins and whales; and the love and support of her parents, especially her mother; all carry her through surgery and recovery. Laurie goes through a life transformation when she learns to view loss as a tremendous opportunity to take control of her life.

Whispers from the Heart is one woman's inspiring true story of how to find healing and peace in the face of life's challenges.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Aug 23, 2007
• ISBN: 9780595835553

Laurie Seligman

Laurie Seligman, Motivational Speaker, Wellness Educator and Author, has over twenty years of ongoing study in the fields of Energy Medicine, Mind Body Research, Acoustic Therapy and Brain Wave Entrainment. With over twenty years of experience she developed Conscious Fitness, a layered program of daily mental, emotional, spiritual and physical fitness. She writes for various health publications and is featured in the Breast Cancer Wellness Magazine, as a leading Wellness Coach. She continues ongoing participatory research with whales and dolphins on different continents. She lives with her Jack Russell terrier Zoe and one brave bamboo plant.

Book preview

Copyright © 2007 by Laurie Seligman

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or

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hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

ISBN: 978-0-595-39168-4 (pbk)

ISBN: 978-0-595-83555-3 (ebk)

CONTENTS

A Prayer for the reader

Acknowledgements

Introduction

How did I get here?

Diagnosis—Don’t go it alone

Which Way Should I go..

More will be revealed

Dear God

I am more than my Physical Body

Why I hate Fig Newtowns

The Honey Bear

No More Sand

in the Hourglass

Surviving

the Recovery Room

Mother Daughter Bonding

Not so Great to be Home

Feeling Worthless

Calling my Power back

Finding Self Respect-lessons

from the dolphins

Rendered grateful

Celebrating Life & Loss

Self worth is better than

ice cream

Taking positive

inventory

My Mother,

my touchstone

Honoring Intuition

Following

the path of the heart

Reference Notes

Warning-worthiness

Exercises

The story of

Jellyfish Lake

Note from the Author

About the Author

End Notes

Dear Mom,

Through you I learned to be passionate. We had our struggles because of our strengths. You were always a strong, beautiful, elegant and spirited being. We shared this journey together and we will continue our friendship in dimensions beyond the physical. It is your laughter I miss and your smile I remember most.

You don’t need to go down with the ship. Get in the lifeboat.

—Anonymous … titanic passenger

"If you’re not living in your light,

You’re the one standing in the way."

—Laurie Seligman

A Prayer for the reader

Now is the only moment you have. Get in it as if it’s your life

boat.

May you:

Become willing to put yourself first and unwilling to make

other people comfortable at the cost of your health.

Deal with your attitudes and emotional issues so they don’t go

into your tissues and make you sick. Stop compromising your

health.

Commit to living from inner guidance.

Put faith in your own worthiness, because that act will change

your life completely.

Acknowledgements

I want to thank:

Patrik Carlok for your generous encouragement, Pamela Lane for being my patient book doctor, Laurence Abrams, for my websites, and your friendship, my neighbor Bea Martin for doing yoga with me in the hallway, dolphin podner Ruth Tittle, Ann Gernert, Linda Spheeris, and Suze for traveling with me to California and being my friend ever since, always encouraging me to go for it.

Viktor Manoel Pilates master, Mimi Adams, my friend and the best spinning teacher in the world—thank you for letting me cry in the back row of class and for letting me swim in your parent’s private pool.

Thank you Rosie, Karen Dr. Reiss, Dr. Katz and Lindsay the best surgical scheduling nurse, Stella Levin, Chara Cordova, Pati Traub, Sybelle Algier, and Alan Grimstad for being a superb energy healing team. Thank you Dennis Gouin for your support.

To the spinner and spotted dolphins of Hawaii, the spotted dolphins of Bimini, the Humpback whales of Hawaii, Tonga, and the Dominican Republic for your teachings, your communication, your visitations, and for always reminding me of loving possibility freedom and fun. Thank you for coming to share throughout my book. Special thanks to Joan Ocean for sharing your dance of life. Maureen and Capt. Samone, you helped me find the dolphin movie and Capt. Veto for your humor and generosity.

I honor my Mother’s memory now by living joyously, and fully, and sending our journey out into the universe. I honor my Dad by continuing to laugh and acknowledge that he’s the best Veterinarian Chicago ever had.

I thank every friend and every experience of adversity because they’ve all contributed to what I have been able to put into words. I thank the University of Santa Monica and Dr.’s Ron and Mary Hulnick for my degree in Spiritual Psychology, and indirectly assisting me in recognizing purpose. I thank my teachers Dr. Valerie Hunt and Reverend Rosalyn Bruyere whose commitment to share the gifts from their true genius inspires me always. Special thanks to Carol MonPere for always being there and being the writer I looked up to.

Thank you to my Ohana Nancy Emerson and Jackie tyler.

Zoe, my Jack Russell Terrier who looks like a little Dalmatian, you remind me to see from my heart, because you always see through yours.

I thank every person who takes this written journey and shares it with someone else who shares it with someone else. I hope you’re inspired to be the most YOU possible.

Introduction

The world breaks everyone and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.

—Ernest Hemingway

Whether it is major surgery, heart disease, deep personal loss or cancer, crisis either alters you somewhat, or powerfully transforms you, if you can see it as a gift from the universe. When life knocks you ass over teacup, you’re getting a persuasive invitation to pause, and re-visit your thinking, attitudes, and options. Crisis is a re-set button, an opportunity to play differently and change your quality of life no matter how many miles you have left.

WHISPERS FROM THE HEART, MESSAGES FROM MOTHER is based on personal experience, supported by my degree in spiritual psychology and 20 years as a fitness trainer. WHISPERS FROM THE HEART was initially intended to steer the reader towards methods to prepare emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually for major surgery, provide techniques for creating a wellness environment in the hospital room, and offer suggestions on navigating the recovery process for the highest possible good. I returned to my well paying job in the film industry, and