Greetings!

Our first Movers & Shakers program in New York City was a big success!  We were joined by 160 successful professionals – doctors, lawyers, CEO’s, authors, media personalities, business owners, corporate change agents, spiritual leaders, and more – who are now creating even larger platforms for their good work.  Reid and I are very excited about this program and we look forward to the next in San Francisco and Boston (we may be adding one in Chicago and one in London, so stay tuned!).  You can find more info here.

This Tuesday (12/15), is the last live web event in our year-long series on The Art of Extreme Self Care.  This week’s class is based on chapter 12, “The Extreme Self Care First-Aid Kit,” and it’s a perfect class for anyone going through a challenging time.  You can learn more here.

Happy Holidays and have a wonderful week!

Love,

Cheryl

p.s. – Need a little Divine Direction?  Use the “Touch of Grace” button on our homepage here.

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Topic of the Week

Holiday Gift Ideas

It’s that time of year when many of us are looking for a gift that will touch the heart of someone special.  This week I thought I’d share a few ideas.

Saved by a Poem: The Transformative Power of Words by Kim Rosen.  This is one of my favorite books of the year.  As someone who started writing poems in my early teens, I quickly became enamored with Kim’s soulful way of writing about the power of poetry to heal, inspire, touch, or free us to express ourselves more deeply.  It’s a great gift for those who write poetry, read it, or wish they understood it better.  The book is a unique gift in that it also includes a CD of authors like Joan Borysenko, Christiane Northrup, Elizabeth Lesser or Robert Holden, reciting their favorite poems.  I was pretty nervous when asked to contribute one of mine – Beannacht (Blessing) by John O’Donohue, and yet found it to be a magical experience.  If you love words, you’ll love this book.  You can find it here.

Playground Pump by Chris Rauchnot & Nancy Levin.  This is a cool gift for the moms and dads in your life who love to visit the playground with their kids.  It’s a card deck filled with exercises you (and your kids) can do while having fun!  Chris and Nancy spent several years developing a specific workout plan that will strengthen every important muscle group using playground equipment.  And it works.  The deck also comes as an iPhone application and you can learn more about it here.

Every Moment Matters: Savoring the Stuff of Life by John St. Augustine.  When I received the manuscript of this book, I was instantly captivated by the power of stories to shift our thinking and perspective about life. He uses beautiful stories from his own life to not only explore the lessons they’ve taught him, but the lessons we can all learn from the tiniest of moments.  Dr. Oz has written the foreword and it’s the kind of book that a loved one will place by their bed for a dose of inspiration before going to sleep.  You can find it here.

The Art of Extreme Self Care: A Weekend Retreat for Women.  I’ll be offering a weekend retreat from May 7th – 9th, 2010, at Omega in Rhinebeck, NY. Omega is offering a discount for those who want to bring a mom, sister, or friend, and this is the perfect gift for the woman in your life who needs some time for herself and new ways to practice better self-care.  I’ve chosen Mother’s Day weekend because, at its core, Extreme Self Care is about becoming your own “extraordinary mother.” For more info click here.

Finally, for the person who has everything, you might want to make life easier for you and others by donating money to a favorite charity in a loved one’s name.  This year, my friends and I are forgoing gifts for donations and my local “no-kill” cat shelter, The Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society, will be all the better for it.  So many organizations that are doing good work in the world need our help and this gift idea gives you a chance to make a lot of people happy.

This week, as you go about your holiday shopping, please keep our “Take Action Challenge” in mind ☺.

Take Action Challenge

Don’t shop when feeling frustrated or overwhelmed.  Challenge yourself to give from love not obligation.