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Volume 9, Issue 9

February 15, 2009

Clouds and Sunset Photos by Tim Trumble; Others from Google Image

Tending To Our Inner Lives 2-3

Suddenly I See... 4

Gradual Realizations 5

Taking Control 6

Call for Presentations 7

Choosing to Change 8

Carrying Her Memory 9

Arts Center/Leadership 10

Epiphany on Aisle Six 11

Inside February’s Issue:

Today I pledge to take care of myself as well as I take care of others.

I pledge to acknowledge my need to rest, and therefore revive, my own life through practicing the art of extreme self care.

I pledge to love myself and give myself time to enjoy all of my life...

Page 2

From the Editor Shavawn M Berry

GLOBAL THINKING WOMEN

February has turned out to be a very busy (translation: insane!) month for me. Almost as soon as the ink dried on the last piece I wrote for Global Thinking Women in Janu-ary, more and more work stacked up on my desk, defying my intention to take care of myself and put my own needs first. I had to complete my annual self-evaluation for my work as a teacher, which involves reflecting on my teaching during the past year, as well as assessing my contributions to the univer-sity, and my professional development activities. This report is usually not due until April, but with the budget crisis in Arizona threatening the stability of many jobs in the teaching field, we were asked to complete it early. We are all nervously wonder-ing what’s next.

In addition, I taught my classes, wrote papers for coursework I am completing, read several novels (required for my literature course), interacted with my students, mentored the interns for GTW, prepared two detailed conference presen-tations (one on an interactive writing wiki and one on using creative writing prompts in a variety of settings), and volun-teered my time to help out at the Arizona State University Desert Night, Rising Stars Writers Conference. As all of this has unfolded, I watched myself working to stretch my ca-pacity and to do all that is expected of me, both in personal and professional terms. I felt like I was walking a tightrope over a deep canyon, hoping to not look down, to not imagine what would happen if I lost my footing.

I suppose what this situation has arisen to show me is that I have more capacity than I sometimes realize; however, just because I can do something, doesn’t mean I should. I do need to limit the number of commitments I make, if for no other reason, other than to maintain a base-level of sanity!

My insight this month, as I reflect on the topic of epiph-any, has to do with returning again (and again) to my commit-ment to maintain balance in my life. That way, I will have enough of myself to fully enter into my inner life (as well as my outer life). One cannot have one without the other. As a woman I have the ability to juggle many divergent responsibili-ties. I am both a long-range thinker and an adept manager of minutiae. Many people and projects and ideas and dreams call out for my time and attention. Part of me is a people pleaser (as many women are) and I long to be able to say “yes” whether I truly have the time or capacity to do so. I don’t like to see dis-appointment on the faces of my students or those I love. At those times, I think, perhaps, just for today I can push myself for a bit longer.

Note to Self

VOLUME 9, ISSUE 9 Page 3

Tending To Our Inner Lives But there are limits to my capacity. There have to be limits for all of us, in order for our gifts to be valued as just that: gifts. If I just give and give and give without any attention to my own needs, then those gifts of listening, and time, and effort can sometimes be taken for granted. And when that happens, I find my spirit curling into a fist, feeling overlooked and undervalued. And who is to blame for that? I am. I am the one who did not set any boundaries or demand that I be given the time I need to rest and reclaim my life.

Interestingly, it is my three cats who brought this message home for me. My three lovely beasts, Emma, Ed, and Finn, got very lonely during the time I rushed into the thick of things, gone for twelve or fourteen hours a day for the past couple of weeks. They whimpered and talked incessantly when I came home. Although I was blindly tired from another long day, my cats wanted my lap, my love, and my care. And all I wanted was to go to bed and not be “bothered” with that — because my exhaustion was so acute that I felt myself starting to get ill. The kitties woke me repeatedly during the night, to love them and feed them, even when it was unlikely they were actually hungry. When, in retaliation for their interruptions, I locked them outside of my bedroom, they wailed at the door, plaintively questioning why they could not be with me. They missed me. They needed me.

Finally, toward the end of this overbooked week, I came home from a poetry reading and went into my office to check my email. As I sat down, I felt something slimy and cold through my trousers. One of the cats had been sick on the chair, a chair they know I use every day. For a moment, revulsion over the fact I

was sitting in vomit, hit me. Then I got the message: we are sick without you here. My pets (just like my inner life) need my care. They cannot live without my love and at-tention. And so it is with me. I cannot live without caring for myself and my needs.

In this time of crisis — both locally, nationally, and internationally — it is easy to feel like resting is not an option. It is tempting to think that the world will move ahead without us, if we do not continue to run madly alongside the speeding train. We want to believe that we are indispensi-

ble and indestructible. We are not. Others can, and will, take up the slack if we do not step up and volun-teer to do more. And, if we truly want to avoid illness and resentment, we should let them. Taking time for ourselves is not selfish. On the contrary, it is the first sane step toward self love.

I have another wild week ahead, as I am sure many of us do. Even so, I plan to take a half an hour each morning to sit quietly and listen to my life. Some days that much time may not be possible. I may have only ten minutes. I’ll take it. I will take it as a small slice of the day that is only for me. It is time that I will

guard as sacrosanct. We need to give the best of ourselves to the causes and concerns that are most meaningful to us. We do not, how-ever, need to give all of ourselves away. At the end of the day, we have to have something left — something warm and real — for ourselves. Otherwise, no matter how much we do for oth-ers, we will start to hate our lives. Our gifts will not be given freely and fully. That is not the way to live even one precious day of our most precious lives. I won’t do it anymore. I simply cannot.

More of Shavawn M. Berry’s writing can be read on her website, www.shavawnmberry.com

Page 4

Suddenly I See, How Therapy Set Me Free

by Sarah Maschoff

GLOBAL THINKING WOMEN

The moment I realized I needed therapy was when I broke down crying in my car over a lost CD. For nearly six months, I had labored under the near constant weight of depres-sion brought on by a series of unfortunate events. These events, from a family crisis to my best friend moving away, to general stress at school, led to a consistent pattern of headaches, sadness, and sleepless nights. These problems were even more exacerbated by my family and friends unwillingness to admit that anything was wrong with me. So after finding my elusive copy of the Best of the Cranberries CD, I knew it was time to seek help. Due to the subconsciously self-imposed denial by the people around me, I also knew that this was the first time in my life that I would have to truly take care of myself. This realization held two very distinct emotions for me: it made me feel inde-pendent and more like an adult; while feeling even worse in knowing that I was all alone. However, it was under these varying and intense emotions that I finally sought

the professional help of a counselor. After the initial feeling of overt terror, it was a fairly easy process to un-dertake. Doing a simple Internet search I found the name and phone number of a local counselor.

Looking back on this time, I now know that this choice saved my life. It saved me from not only chronic insomnia, but also from living the sort of half-life that comes with these feelings of weakness and inse-curity. For millions of women, my situation will feel similar to their own. We suffer from depression due to a myriad of causes, from certain chemical imbalances to specific, sometimes life-changing, events. Ironically, this sad fact has indeed made me feel less alone, and even more willing to continue working on my mental well-being as well as my overall happiness. In our ever shrinking and fast paced society, mental health can go by the wayside as many see depression as an obvious and incurable result of a hostile world. But my experi-ences have taught me that happiness is not automatic in one’s life, but something we have to fight to achieve. Being a woman is complicated and it requires a lot of balancing as well as immeasurable strength. For me, the hardest thing about depression was feeling I was weak for allowing “it” to happen to me. And in today’s soci-ety, when women constantly have to demonstrate unparallel strength in their lives, it is often hard to ask for help. But as women, we owe it to ourselves, to live our lives to the fullest extent, and to show our strength as human beings by making our lives better. My mother always says to take an aspirin when you have a head-ache, “because there’s no need to suffer with a headache when you have something to fix it.” The same goes for depression. There’s no need to suffer when you have something to fix it. Get the help you need. You will be glad you did.

Arizona Suicide

and Crisis Hotlines:

http://suicidehotlines.com/arizona.html

For more information on local counseling centers or hotlines, contact:

Counseling & Consultation at Arizona State University:

Student Services Building,

Room 334

P.O. Box 871012 Tempe, AZ 85287-1012

Hours: Monday - Friday,

8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

480-965-6146

Mental Health America of

Arizona:

480-994-4407

http://mhaarizona.org/index.html

VOLUME 9, ISSUE 9

When I began to think about what to write, I found myself struggling to define epiphany, a term that is a multifaceted, abstract idea. You can define it like a cartoon light bulb magically going off over a character’s head, but I don’t think that it has to be defined that way. For many, that is what the idea of epiphany has come to. Epiphanies have become our “A-ha!” moments, the moments when we realize something completely new about ourselves or our worlds. For me, however, my changes don’t arrive through a sudden realization of something new. Sometimes you change your stance on something gradually, without even realizing it.

As humans we grow up slowly, not suddenly. We don’t wake up one day knowing how to swim. We are taught to swim. We experience it firsthand. Maybe at first the lesson doesn’t sink in. We have to practice swimming a few times before we fully understand that the pressure in our lungs will continue to build and build while we are under the surface of the water, unless we rush up for a new breath. I don’t think that all les-sons or experiences end with this sudden understanding, but some do. However, sometimes it’s a gradual awareness that an experience impacts us, and we learn from it or different because of it.

I have never once had a sudden conscious insight into my life. I don’t need an idea or a realization to clobber me over the head, and sometimes even when it does I don’t always recognize it. My epiphanies are more like ninjas, they sneak up on me and knock me out. I wake up afterwards a little disoriented, trying to piece everything together. Like swimming, I knew I needed to sur-face to breathe, but for a time, I felt that didn’t apply to me. See, I was going to be a mermaid. My days as a mermaid ended quickly enough after I found myself coughing up enough water to refill our pool twice over, but it wasn’t like I knew it right away. I kept denying it and then eventually grew tired and wanted to spend my time in the pool just swim-ming.

That’s how I learn things. Most of the time I realize years later that I did something different or I changed in some way. For me, learning comes from serious reflection about my life as I develop and grow. I don’t get clobbered over the head by an “Ah-ha!” moment. I mature and change gradually. I make choices and I change through those choices. Sometimes I can pinpoint what experience affected me and other times I simply made a decision without comprehending it’s impact. My realization, or epiphany, came years later.

Page 5

Gradual Realizations by Maggie Flanagan

Global Thinking Women Kim Eagles, M.A.—Global Leadership

Founder/Director Tempe, AZ 85281

kim_eagles@msn.com www/igloo.org/arizonacommunity

www.igloo.or/kim_eagles http://eagles-thinkingwomen.blogspot.com/

A Division of:

ODATS Organizational Leadership and Development Training System

We’re on the Web! http://globalthinkingwomen.weebly.com/

Global Thinking Women Have

Something To Say!

Growing up, it was not uncommon for our mothers, fa-thers, and teachers to instruct us regarding the benefits of washing our hands, buckling our seatbelts, and doing a variety of other tedi-ous tasks. As children, we gener-ally deemed these admonitions as useless and tiresome, while our guardians recognized their neces-sity in basic survival. So now that we are all grown up and the watchful eyes of our parents have been diminished, when is it time to begin taking charge of our own health and safety?

After a recent health scare, I have been forced to look at my own health a little more closely. I realized I have come to a point in my life where the only person who can protect me, is me. This was a wake-up call for me. Afterwards, I started to look at my life in a different manner. I knew I needed to take a more ac-tive role in looking after my basic health.

Taking care of our own wellbeing is the single most important thing we can do as women.

There are many differ-ent health risks that modern women face today. And while some are large with harder to find solutions, others are smaller and therefore, curable through the advent of modern medicine when detected in time. However, many women still ignore the signs their bodies give them as if nothing is wrong. Too many women are dying young, because they are not standing up and taking charge of their own health, or even basic safety.

Recently, the cousin of a

close friend of mine was killed in a horrific car accident, just days before her nineteenth birthday. Like a typical teenager, she be-lieved she would never die, and as a result, lived her life reck-lessly. The most tragic part of her death is that it could have easily been prevented, if she had only worn her seatbelt.

It is always a tragedy when a life is lost, especially one so young. But it compounds the tragedy when her death could have been prevented by such a

simple act. She was the only one who had control over her own safety at that moment, and yet, she threw it all to chance. Perhaps she was still too naïve at her age to real-ize the importance of protecting herself; however, even at such a young age the importance never diminishes.

Too many women ignore their most basic survival instincts, and the price they are forced to pay is usually catastrophic. It is ex-tremely important to speak up and take charge when at the doctor’s office. It is important to remember that our health is our doctors’ num-ber one priority, and their business is to help us take care of ourselves. So speak up if there is something bothering you. As women of the new millennium, it is up to us to take control of our life and our health. No one knows our bod-ies as well as we do and no one can protect it as strongly as we can.

Page 6

Taking Control by Sarah Bramlett

GLOBAL THINKING WOMEN

VOLUME 9, ISSUE 9 Page 7

CALL FOR SYMPOSIUM PRESENTATIONS

Women Making a World of Difference

Discovering and Honoring Our Purpose, Path, and Passion

Zhengzhou, Henan, Province, People’s Republic of China

May 23-24, 2009

Would you like to write for

Global Thinking Women ?

Do you have expertise to share with other women?

Our next three issues will cover

the following themes:

Women’s Activism For a Global Community—March 2009

Unity — Seeding and Fostering It —April 2009

Moving Forward — Advancing Toward Our Dreams—May 2009

Submit articles, article ideas, or ideas for themes for

upcoming issues to

shavawn.berry@msn.com

Articles are due on 5th of the month for each monthly issue, so for March, it is March 5; for April, April 5, for May, May 5th.

SYMPOSIUM TOPICS

Discovering Our Life Path

Expressing Our Leadership

Caring for Our Health and Environ-ment

Connecting Our Communities

Nurturing Our Families and Rela-tionships

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION :

March 4, 2009.

Selected presenters will be notified by March 16 and must register with a $600.00 deposit by March 31 to insure inclusion on the Symposium program. Se-lected presenters must submit full papers of their presentation for translators by April 24. Submit all items by e-mail attachment to women@globalinteractions.org.

Use Times New Roman 12 pt font. All submissions will be acknowledged. Submission will not be re-turned. Presenters are invited to attend the pre-Symposium study program beginning May 13. All delegates must arrive at SIAS by May20 and remain through the close of the Symposium and opening of the World Academy for the Future of Women on May 24.

Epiphany - a sudden intuitive leap of under-standing, especially through an ordinary but striking occurrence.

Revitalization - Renewal, renaissance, new life and recovery.

The human spirit is intricate, vast and can be described infinitely in its definition—the spirit is to the soul as the soul is to the body. The human spirit is alive and strives to gain life just as any living or-ganism. It is powered by the same force that orches-trates the oceans tide, fragile as Strauss Crystal of Switzerland and resilient as tita-nium steel.

The fear of changing is as complicated as the consequences if we do not change a negative habit, behavior, lifestyle or mindset. In essence, it has the potential of kill-ing the human spirit.

The epiphany is that this unique energy of the human spirit is at risk of diminishing if left iso-lated and neglected. Let’s review ideas from the introduction of the book entitled, Wisdom’s Rule of Change Book.

In spiritual circles we often hear of the certain terms of formal words or religious phrases that are common in conversation to only those in that cir-cle—such as: the human spirit, formal prayer, those heavenly tone and speech patterns or writing that often can and does intimidate—and ‘we’ the average person don’t have a clue or concept of what that per-son is even talking about—it’s as if there is a secret language— The Wisdom’s Rule of Change attempts to break down barriers of misunderstanding to achieving understanding.

The Hebrew word for proverb is "comparison" and also refers to an aphorism (cliché or a saying) or declaration, a principal or to a dia-logue. Wisdom and knowledge are key words of the Proverbs, leading to right living, moral discipline for one's life whether good and bad, what matters most and what does not matter at all. In the words of Solomon—this leader shows the student how to live

life intelligently and competently leading them to an abundant and successful life.

The purpose of this volume is to understand the reality and change that requires wisdom. It is a belief that when we make a decision to change we must all come to grips with that it requires doing most things that we are use to doing differently. And it is to the degree that we make an hon-est assessment of where our hearts are, start from that point and go forward that we truly begin to experience all that our human spirit

has for us. No matter where we are in our spiritual relationships, there is always room for growth that will bring us to a place of greater service and intimate relationship with God. Remember that God has promised to perfect all that concerns us and He is the self-proclaimed author and fin-isher of our faith.

Change requires action. Change requires planning including a strategy with the intention to evoke proactive change and new awareness in various areas of life that have com-plicated and/or stifled healthy growth in your live. This series is a tool for an introduction to self evolu-tion of past and present beliefs, con-cepts, and misconceptions that may

have caused confusion and misdirection of biblical theory. For far too long individuals have depended on churches and teachings of others for spiritual wisdom one-on-one with our heavenly Father—but, today is that time to change.

Actually creating a personal blue print of your life’s experiences, as well as exploring the the-ory that make you who you are and creates the de-sire to find the person you wish to become, make this an invaluable book.

No more hiding and being fearful of the past—choose to change! Be intentional and live!

Page 8 GLOBAL THINKING WOMEN

Epiphany—Choosing to Change by Kim Eagles

VOLUME 9, ISSUE 9

An urgent voicemail left by my mother resonated in my ears. One that I did not hear until over thirty-six hours after it was initially left. “Mary, your grand-mother is in the hospital. She has pneumonia and sepsis. Get down to the hospital as soon as you can!” My husband was out of town in North Carolina on business, and I was busy with my career, working full time as an English teacher and doctoral student. I was entrenched in writing an article on student lit-eracy practices while my grand-mother was potentially dying. I spent nine and a half hour days at school, from dawn until dusk, writing lesson plans, checking student papers without realizing someone I loved deeply was suf-fering.

I went to see my grand-mother the next evening. She was plugged into a respirator, with tubes flowing in and out of her and was heavily sedated. This woman, who out spoke auc-

tioneers on a daily basis, who could arm wrestle me to the ground for the first sixty five years of her life, and mowed her own lawn until the age of sev-enty with a push-mower, did not have the strength to open her eyelids. Just two days before, she babysat my autistic brother; just twenty four hours earlier she walked one mile to Safeway, pushing a cart of groceries home; her strong, sturdy Sicilian body traversing the streets she had walked upon for the past fifty years with confidence. When the less fortunate desired help, she bought them a loaf of bread and peanut butter, always eager to assist those who were in need. When others questioned her political support of the De-mocratic Party, she admonished them saying, “I vote for the party that gives, not takes.” This woman was stainless steel, sturdy and unvarnished.

Despite this tough exte-rior, she had become weak with a heart condition that she hid from us for five years.

I spent infinite hours in front of my computer writing articles, grading papers, and an-swering e-mails. There were so many times when I thought, I should visit her, but I am too busy, maybe tomorrow. There were so many lost opportunities, when she was free and I was tied; now she is tied and I can-not reach her despite my need to.

My grandmother is cur-rently recovering in a hospice near St. Joseph’s Hospital after one week of ICU treatment. She has a trachea tube inserted into

her throat and still cannot talk. On our visits, her index finger lures my husband and me to her bedside with pen and paper, a twinkle in her hazel eyes. All 81 years of her is still breathing, fighting to sur-vive.

Despite all the degrees I earn, the pats on the back from colleagues and friends, parties at-tended, and nights out on the town, I need to make time for the very person who changed my dia-pers. The one who fed and clothed me, taught me how to color an ap-ple tree, recited Bible verses from heart, and who encouraged my love for literature and poetry. Something’s got to give, but I will not let it be her. To grandmother’s house I will go; I hope to God, she can spring back to who she once was. What remains important are all the times you say “I love you” not “I owe you” or the “to dos” in life. My grandmother is my heart and I remain attached to her, des-perately craving one last time to-gether-out, unhooked from the wires and tubes that attach us.

Author’s Note:

My grandmother passed away on February 1st, 2009 at 5:45 pm. I will carry her mem-ory with me always.

Page 9

Carrying Her Memory With Me

by Mary Powell

Page 10

A Jewel in the Crown: Tempe Center for the Arts

GLOBAL THINKING WOMEN

The Tempe Center for the Arts (TCA), located at 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway, is one of the finest venues in Arizona – a jewel in the crown of a city known for its support of the arts. The strikingly magnificent TCA, De-signed by Tempe-based Architect and award-winning Barton Myers Associates of Los An-geles, houses a state-of-the-art, 600-seat pro-

scenium theater, a 200-seat studio theater and a 3,500 square-foot gallery. The finely appointed Lakeside overlooks Town Lake, with views of the Papago and Camelback mountains, and is available for meetings, ban-quets and special events. The TCA, located on the southwest end of Tempe Town Lake, resides in a beautifully appointed 17-acre lakeside art park developed by Design Workshop, a Tempe landscape architecture firm. A pedestrian bridge is scheduled for completion in 2010 that will complete a loop around Tempe Town Lake and join the north bank with the south in front of the TCA. Local favorites including Childsplay, Tempe Little Theatre, the Tempe Symphony Orchestra, the Tempe Community Chorus, A. Ludwig Dance, Desert Dance and the Tempe Wind Ensemble perform on the center’s stages. For booking information contact: Susanne Durgam-Bighorn 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway • Tempe, AZ 85281 • Box Office: 480/350-2TCA (2822) • Facsimile: 480/350-2828 Event booking:480/350-2814 • Education/Tours: 480/350-5679

5 Messages Prepare Girls to Lead by Shavawn M. Berry

In the 1991 book, Women Power: The Secrets of Leadership, Dr. Dorothy Cantor and Toni Bernay outlined what they found were messages little girls needed to get in order to become leaders. Dr. Cantor and several other psychologists interviewed 25 high-ranking female politicians in the early 90s and found that all of them had received similar messages in their families of origin. These messages are fre-quently given to boys, but are less likely to be given to young girls:

You are loved and special

You can set goals and do anything you want

It is permissible to take risks

You can use and enjoy “creative aggression”

You can dream of greatness

(Cantor & Bernay, Women Power).

More recently, Dr. Cantor co-authored Finding Your Voice—A Woman’s Guide to Using Self-Talk for Fulfilling Relationships, Work and Life with seven other female psychologists. In it, she (and her co-writers) encourage women to utilize psychological techniques to stop the self-critical and unpro-ductive thinking that blocks them from living their best lives. It is a “highly readable and practical manual for self-fulfillment” (http://www.finding-your-voice.com/). The information we receive in life, and the way we “talk” to ourselves can make a tremendous difference, either positively or negatively. As women we often buy into messages society sends us about how svelte we should be, or how we should seek perfection, be all things to all people, or know exactly what to do in every situation. The encouragement to take risks, dream of greatness, and set goals is crucial in fostering our ability to build lives we truly want. Empowering our-selves (and our daughters) through messages about our value and capability is an important first step.

Epiphanies may be like dreams, much more interesting to the teller, than the listener. But I will take the risk. Most of you, past a certain age, will probably recall a similar incident in your own life.

In 2003 I was living near San Francisco in a sleepy town just over the Golden Gate Bridge with my husband and two small children. We were renting a nice home near the water, one we could barely afford. And, along with the birth of my son—a son with Down Syndrome and a slew of serious medical issues—I had just started a new job. My husband was a pilot, which kept him out of town more than half the time, and left me mostly on my own with our kids. Looking back at those days, I feel thankful they are behind me.

But even in the throes of slow moving and rou-tine days, there can be days you remember. This one particular afternoon I realized I needed pita bread for dinner. So the kids and I went to the local Safeway. I often avoided this Safeway because it frustrated me. It was old and the aisles were narrow, barely allowing for two carts passing. Inevitably my way would be blocked and I would blame the other shoppers for be-ing in the way even though I knew it wasn’t their fault that grocery carts had doubled in size since the seven-ties and no longer fit this store’s design.

Aisle six was the bread aisle. My thoughts were racing as usual: Was my son breathing ok? Did he look blue? Was my daughter staying with me and not touching everything? Had I turned off the stove?

In between, I scanned the shelves in vain, looking for the round bread I was seeking. I looked up and down, back and forth growing increasingly frus-trated with this simple task.

I remembered that in some stores they think it logical to have pita bread in the deli instead of the bread aisle. Who thought of this, I wondered?

Off we trudged to the deli, only to find no pita bread and no one to ask about its location.

My children and I headed back to aisle six to stare at the packages of Orowheat and ButterTop. I began to talk to myself, saying aloud, “Why is this so hard? Where is the stupid pita bread?”

Then, I noticed a man near me. In my mem-ory he is now more like an apparition. I only remem-ber him as a disheveled figure in pants and a long sleeve shirt. He was rather thin with lots of crazy hair

and a beard. He calmly responded to my mutter-ings by saying, “It is right there,” pointing to the bottom shelf. I barely looked at him but did say thank you, letting out a slightly embarrassed laugh. It was right there. I still hear his response in my head today.

“Sometimes the thing you’re looking for is right in front of you.” I knelt down and took the bread, telling my son, “We found it!”

When I turned around the man was gone. His words flashed through my mind. What had he said again? “Sometimes the thing you’re looking for is right in front of you.”

I caught my breath. Was he talking about bread or was he being ironic? (Or perhaps he was just being flat out sarcastic given my impatience!)

I went searching for him, in the next aisle, and then at the checkout counter. I scanned the parking lot outside. I don’t know why but I wanted a better look at him; however, he had disappeared. Like an apparition, he was apparently ephemeral, able to appear and disappear at will. His words struck me to my core. They served as a reminder to really look at – and see – my life. The things I wanted most were right there in aisle six; my chil-dren, food for my table, my life itself...they were all right there all along.

Epiphany on Aisle Six By Wendy Brunner

Page 11 GLOBAL THINKING WOMEN