My loves,
I wish I could take your suffering away. I mistakenly thought that by working through my issues I would spare you from experiencing pain. Even if that was remotely possible, I see now that it would have been a disservice to you, as I understand that life is about growth. We must experience the wind and rain, the tempests that ravage us, the wind that blows us off course, the rain that dampens our spirits and folds us into our sorrow and the demon pests that try to eat away at our souls. This suffering is the fertilizer for our growth.
For then comes the sun, only hidden by our clouds, and we give in to it’s warmth and nurturing light. Turning to it we open our petals wide to receive it’s sustenance gathering the energy to infuse our days then gathering it back in while we sleep, resting in that nurturing love so that we wake refreshed to bloom day after day.
So my darlings, I ask you to understand that my imperfections as a mother, though abhorrent to me, may truly be my greatest gift to you as they have forced you to go within and find your greatest strength which is your glorious Self. ]]> http://www.amyconway.com/blog/mother%e2%80%99s-day-blog/feed/ 0 http://www.amyconway.com/blog/santa-fe-girls-school-2/ http://www.amyconway.com/blog/santa-fe-girls-school-2/#comments Wed, 18 Apr 2012 22:05:48 +0000 amyconway http://www.amyconway.com/blog/?p=1371 I had the great honor to be selected as a “Female Leader” from the Santa Fe Girls School http://santafegirlsschool.org/ for their “Being a Girl Becoming a Leader” benefit. It was gratifying to sit among the diverse group of women leaders who are passionate about enriching the lives of others. Recently I had the privilege to visit the school and after sitting in on a few classes and having lunch with the teachers, walked away with immense gratitude for co-founder Lee Lewin and her staffs’ commitment to providing a school where adolescent girls are encouraged to use their voices and creating an atmosphere where girls are “taught how to think, rather than what to think.” What a refreshing agenda! The small classes sizes (fifteen girls per grade, 6th, 7th and 8th ) enable the girls to take part in very interesting projects one of which is Project Preserve where the girls work along a 9 acre river parcel clearing the land and conducting various field tests. They are also so blessed to have Santa Fe Poet Laureate Joan Logghe teach them poetry writing. It was very clear to me that the faculty has thought deeply about how to best develop each girl’s awareness of their strengths and intelligence by giving them a safe nurturing environment to become the strong, confident women that our world needs. What an honor for me to be honored by them.

We were at the University of Michigan’s med school on this occasion to support our son and his fiancé who would find out where they would wind up for the next three years. Having sat through many, nerve – wracking, nail biting division one basketball games, which they both played in college, I was quite familiar with the stress and anxiety of competitive sports. I had the similar feeling sitting in the ballroom at the U of M as the sound grew louder, nervous glances were exchanged and expectant faces were shrouded in hope and uncertainty while waiting for the high noon countdown before the white envelopes with THE MATCH were distributed.

One by one the envelopes were opened mostly to cheers and smiles and very few tears. As I watched all of these young people and listened as they announced their ‘matches’ I thought how blessed we are to have such smart and courageous young people willing to spend their lives in the pursuit of helping and healing others along life’s journey. It was a beautiful thing. And, our son is now matched!

I promise to love and cherish you

I promise to nurture you and care for you

I promise to listen to you and honor your feelings

I promise to devote time everyday to your needs

I promise to breathe deeply and listen to your
breathe in the silence of the day

I promise to listen to your tears, feel your anger,
and bask in your joy

I promise to acknowledge and savor the love in
and all around you

I promise to honor your wisdom

I promise to express your passion

I promise to listen closely and hear your
whispering in my ear

I promise to see you as the Divine expression
of Life itself

I promise to accept you just as you are and love you,
love you, love you

Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone – may you remember the simple truth that you are love.
Amy

Our first stop was the San Miguel Chapel directly across from the Inn. It is claimed to be the oldest church in the United States as there is evidence that the site has been occupied by humans since 1300AD. The Tlaxcala Indians from Mexico who came to New Mexico with Spanish settlers built the original chapel in 1610. The well-preserved Church enchanted me especially when I read that spirits of Indians are still felt there and that some visitors experience spiritual activity. There is a sign that asks visitors not to be afraid, as the chapel spirits are friendly. Love that!

A block away from the San Miguel Chapel is the Loretto Chapel built as a school by Bishop Lamy for the sisters of Loretto and famous for the spiral staircase that was built by a mysterious, traveling carpenter. The construction of the staircase has baffled engineers and to date no one has ever figured out how this feat of engineering was accomplished. With the two 360 degree turns and no visible means of support, it is truly a miraculous staircase and worth a visit. The rosary garden in front of the chapel was sweet.

After a few hours of Christmas shopping at some of our favorite stores by the Plaza; Doodlets – a store filled with cool and kitschy toys, lights, cards, folk art and so much more (great for stocking stuffers – we always buy Beeman’s clove and black jack gum; Spirit clothing store, where I find great sweaters and trousers; and my friend Eva Jackson’s store Sign of the Pampered Maiden for easy affordable clothes, we were hungry. We decided to see if we could get into Café Pasqual’s – a favorite restaurant of both tourists and locals. The food is a fusion of Central American and New Mexican flavors. The décor is festive with lights, chili ristras, Diego Rivera type art and a lot of other things thrown in. I had a grilled free-range chicken breast sandwich with manchego cheese, caramelized onions on toasted chile-cornbread with a kale salad and loved it! Pasqual’s is a colorful restaurant with colorful food and colorful characters. We ran into an old friend, solar design architect Mark Chalom in his colorful sweatshirt designed by his wife, Betty of Tewa Tees. What better place than Santa Fe to be a tourist and a local?

We ended our stay-cation with dinner at Bistro 315 with another delicious meal and went back to our cozy room and watched the snow start to fall on the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Our little get-a-way, a week before Christmas settled our nerves, expanded our awareness of our town and renewed the deep love we have for each other. There is so much more to see and experience in our hometown that we decided to treat ourselves to a stay-cation more often.

This holiday I want to give the gift of love and acceptance to everyone I encounter – be it a smile, a forgiveness or just a great big hug. I wish you and yours the best that life has to offer this holiday season and look forward to continuing the conversation in 2012!

What encouraged and inspired me as I read his autobiography were his utter passion and commitment to his work. The consequences of his unwillingness to compromise his high standards resulted in bankruptcy a few times along the course of his career but he would not give up. His story helped me to see that the road to success can be treacherous at times and it takes great fortitude to pick yourself up time after time with a fresh perspective and honor who you are and what you are called to do. It also strengthened my commitment to creating products of the highest quality. I, like Ferragamo, cannot give to the world anything but my best. It is my commitment to allow myself the time and space to fully develop my art, with the intent to bring beauty and meaning into the world and to awaken people to their true nature, which in my truth is Love. I use my resources to utilize the craftsmanship of true artisans, pay a fair wage, use high quality materials and to have my company anchored by a support team that honors and respects the integrity of one another and the world around them.
This I feel is the path to true success.