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THE RISE AGAIN BLOG

Stories to Inspire You

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The Reviews Are In! Mindful Mamas “Life-Changing!”

Nov 10, 2013
3 min

The Reviews Are In! Mindful Mamas “Life-Changing!”

I’m sure you can imagine how hard it was to choose to open up and unfold after 4 years of relentless tragedy. But, this famous quote by Anais Nin became my hope & my goal, for myself and others: “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” So, three months ago, I decided to start BELIEVING BIG, taking risks on my dreams, & waking up to do something that TERRIFIED me once a week! Haha! My first big SCARY dream was

Announcing: Mindful Mamas Class Starts Tuesday

Aug 29, 2013
1 min

Announcing: Mindful Mamas Class Starts Tuesday

This 6-week collaborative class is a gift to yourself. Are you craving more connection, meaning, or joy in your life? Do you long to create more balance between your roles as a Mother, wife, friend… and a creative, joyful being? Are you always putting others first, and find yourself rarely taking time to do the things that make your soul sing? This is a class for Mamas of all ages and ranges – whether you’re a new Mama, a seasoned Mama, a Stay-At-Home Mama, single Mama, or

Half-Dead Or Alive

Aug 23, 2013
3 min

Half-Dead Or Alive

It’s a choice, and one that requires more courage than can possibly be put into words, to unfold your wings again, when they’ve been clipped, wounded, torched and tormented, time after time. It has been my life’s challenge to unfold. A year ago, I was pregnant with my third child – a walking dead, half-alive corpse of myself. 4 years of tragedy, 20 deaths, and the loss of everything ten times over, had singed and scarred my wings so acutely, I simply wanted to crawl into a sh

You Are Now Entering the “Spring” of Your Life

Aug 14, 2013
1 min

You Are Now Entering the “Spring” of Your Life

As I was hosing them down, I started aiming the spray at the dead leaves to help them fall off, and encourage growth and renewal. As nature always speaks to me, I had a little ah-ha moment. The rains and winds of our life are not to be cursed. Like a storm on a dying vine, they simply rid us of the parts of ourselves that are dead, unnecessary, broken, or browning. Then, the parts of us that are alive and green can soak up more of the water to nourish and feed our souls, spee

7 Ways to Hold A Vision For Your Life

Aug 12, 2013
4 min

7 Ways to Hold A Vision For Your Life

Do you have a vision for your life, or are you just going through the motions? What happens when the snowball of your life hits unimaginable obstacles – can you keep it on course? We all need a vision. A vision is not just a dream or a wish – it is an inner calling that comes from knowing and fulfilling your true purpose on this Earth. It is an inner expression of joy, creativity, and connection with others. A vision sustains you through the bumps on the road. It’s the reason

Milestones, Intuition & Instincts: What Could You Do If You Really Trusted Yourself?

Jun 30, 2013
2 min

Milestones, Intuition & Instincts: What Could You Do If You Really Trusted Yourself?

It is written… I think I just finished the first chapter of my new book! After abandoning three years worth of a 600-800 page book that turned out to be mostly a healing tool for myself, I’m finally writing the book I know I’m meant to share with the world. I know it may take time to come to full fruition, but whether it takes a month or a year, or 10, it feels like I’m finally following my calling. I was truly inspired this week, yet again, by Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday – a b

Lean In, Baby, Just Lean In

May 12, 2013
3 min

Lean In, Baby, Just Lean In

I used to be afraid to tell you more bad stuff was happening in my life because I don’t want pity, and because I thought for sure I was doing something to “deserve” all this bad stuff. On some level, I think I believed I had not become enlightened/empowered/aura-fied/chakra-fied/fully present/fearless/brave/spiritual/positive thinking enough to transcend suffering. I wanted so badly in my journeys these last 4 years to find a way to transcend suffering. I really thought if I

What Are You Holding Back?

Mar 25, 2013
2 min

What Are You Holding Back?

I’m reading Marianne Williamson’s, “Everyday Grace” right now, and this quote struck me so profoundly when I read it the other day, I wanted to share it. Anita Moorjani, who I spoke of in my last blog post, spoke about this same sort of principle – that if we withhold our magnificence from the world, and keep it inside, it can turn into a sort of self-implosion that eats away at us from within, turning into disease and dis-ease in our lives. I think Marianne is speaking of th

A Different Kind of Near-Death Experience

Aug 28, 2012
4 min

A Different Kind of Near-Death Experience

He reminded me to use my voice…so I did, for him. ~ Christopher Lane’s Memorial Service 8/25/12 ~ Photo borrowed from Christopher’s Facebook page I thought I was doing fine, since the Memorial. I doused that place in a good storm puddle of my own tears on Saturday, and I guess I thought that’d do me for awhile. But, today, it came back. Listening to this haunting, powerful, poignant, bomb-hitting-your-house sort of poem of Christopher’s. I’ve never heard anything like it in m

Have You Lost a Loved One?

Jun 30, 2012
1 min

Have You Lost a Loved One?

Who broke your heart when they left this Earth? Was it a parent, a grandparent? A sister, a friend? Was it a a child who began to grow inside of you, a child you held on this earth, a child you loved and lost? Was it more than one person – was it many who left all at once? Does your heart still hurt when you think of them? Do tears catch you unawares, months, weeks, even years later? Have you moved on with your life, yet still, you feel the empty space within that they left,

Express Your Self ~ Living Life Out of Your Inner Joy

Jun 25, 2012
3 min

Express Your Self ~ Living Life Out of Your Inner Joy

Do you plan your next adventure seeking to gain JOY from the experience, or do you adventure as an expression of the JOY you already possess within? I consistently need to remind myself to live my life as an expression of Who I Am, instead of meeting each day like a hungry sponge, needing to be filled, so I can be Who I Am. When I make plans for my weekend, whimsically summoning visions of peace-filled journeys and forays into nature, it’s easy to seek happiness and joy in my

Are You Expanding or Contracting?

Jun 1, 2012
4 min

Are You Expanding or Contracting?

This is almost a love letter to myself right now, because I need to hear this advice, so I’m going to give it you, in hopes perhaps my own psyche will absorb it by osmosis along the way! It seems my natural instinct is to contract, although this instinct has only become more inherent in me since all these gobs of loss began in my life three years ago. I’ve been a bit like a turtle recoiling in my shell, believing that things would be better in my safe zone within. c-louise/s

The Big News (Finally!)

May 22, 2012
4 min

The Big News (Finally!)

In my last post, I told you there would be a BIG announcement coming soon. It perfectly explains why I accidentally took a pretty long hiatus from the work I’ve been trying to do in the world here on this blog. I was reading an article in a magazine at the doctor’s office recently and a line struck me – it spoke about all of one’s creative energy going to one project, and leaving little to give in other areas of life. Well, all my creative energy has been going somewhere late

I Confess, I Killed the Metaphorical Tea Kettle!

Apr 15, 2012
5 min

I Confess, I Killed the Metaphorical Tea Kettle!

It’s taken me awhile to have the courage to write this post. I have a horrific confession. Do you remember awhile back I talked about my lovely little tea kettle in my post “Accepting the Unacceptable – Part II”? I had not paid enough attention to my poor tea kettle, and thus a thick residue had built up inside her, which I was unknowingly serving my family in their brown sugar oatmeal and tea. I used the sweet tea kettle as a metaphor for our unattended pain. Her unresolved

“Expect the Worst” – Good Advice?

Apr 13, 2012
5 min

“Expect the Worst” – Good Advice?

News of a family member’s unexpected illness last week sent me into temporary panic waves resembling those of the Indonesian tsunami of ’04. I have to say, I am getting pretty dang sick of my Mom calling, with that hushed tone and the words, “I have news.” (And she’s probably pretty sick of it, too!) “Hindsight is always 20/20” – how many times have we heard that line? In the last few years, it’s taken on new meaning for me. It seems no matter the terms or conditions of a los

This Post Is Not Going to Amaze You

Mar 26, 2012
4 min

This Post Is Not Going to Amaze You

This, right here, is going to be a below-average, unplanned, spontaneous, barely edited regular-ole’-Joe kind of post. So, hold onto your socks, they’re not going anywhere. I’m a writer, so I have pretty high standards for anything everything I put out into the world that includes words. This includes my Memoir I’ve been working on diligently for 1.5 years now, Workshop Proposals, Press Releases, website content, newspaper articles, contributing articles for sites like Wander

Announcing: “Open to Hope” For You

Mar 23, 2012
3 min

Announcing: “Open to Hope” For You

This is such an honor, as I’m joining the ranks of renowned authors, PhD’s, Grief Counselors, Professors and people like me, who have brandished themselves against the stone of grief to glean what gifts they could. I’m very grateful to have one more outlet for sharing my “Gifts of Grief” that I’ve learned along this journey through loss and life, and look forward to publishing articles several times a year there. I feel humbled to be on the contributing end of a website like

You Win…A New Car! (Really!)

Mar 22, 2012
5 min

You Win…A New Car! (Really!)

This week, I’ve been rolling down a rowdy river of abundance, and so I decided it was time to stop and take roll call on the gratefulness gravy train, and pay it forward…by sharing it with you. Please excuse me, because I think I’m about to start sounding like an overzealous car salesman here. I can’t help but overuse exclamation points – looking back at the last couple weeks, I really have to be exuberantly thankful, which requires prolific use of exclamation points and capi

Dear Sweet Nephew: I’m Smiling at the Memory of You Today

Mar 15, 2012
5 min

Dear Sweet Nephew: I’m Smiling at the Memory of You Today

Dear Sweet Nephew, Hi, how are you? What’s it like living in the light you were on Earth? I thought today I would write to you, because today it’s been 10 years since you left this Earth. I know you are still nearby, and all around, but, losing the chance to hold you in my arms and run my fingers through your beautiful blond hair again, that was the hardest thing I have ever had to let go of. Marking 10 years today makes me look back on the last decade of my life without you.

Promise Yourself

Mar 13, 2012
1 min

Promise Yourself

#strength #faith #joy #life #family #inspiration

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