Heart-Aligned Holiday: Reflections, Reverence, Remembrance, & Resilience

Appreciation is a memory of the?heart. This year brings us yet another opportunity for?reflection,?reverence, and?remembrance?of what it means to be in alignment with the essence of our heart. Amidst the ongoing pandemics in our world including heightened cases and deaths from COVID, economic, and racial injustices we acknowledge the ever present nature of inequities experienced by marginalized and minoritized communities across the globe. These experiences happen on all levels individually, intra-personally, organizationally, structurally, and systemically.

For me it is important to ground into the appreciation for what today offered us as a family. We began with reading and discussing two pieces one by?Future Cain about "Thanksgiving as a Our Nation's Day of Mourning"? and?Milwaukee Independent's article by Heather Cox Richardson ?acknowledging the history of this United States federally recognized holiday, Thanksgiving. I encourage you to watch the?2021 National Day of Mourning ?showcasing incredible?intentionality of heart?with direct action requests to uplift Indigenous Resiliency. We also watched the Macy's Day Thanksgiving Parade (favorite performance was with?Jon Batiste ,?I need you ?and close second with?Celina Smith, ?Annie singing Tomorrow ), tuned into football (mainly on in the background), and experienced levity in watching?Home Sweet Home Alone . These moments of dancing through previous traditions and creating new opportunities integrated the heart for us to be more present to creating the both + and within our holiday.

Returning to a post made on?11.19.21 on LinkedIn ?by?Future Cain, the Future of SEL ?that shared the possibilities that were offered during the High Vibe Healing Collective's?Heart Centered Living Summit?these words launched us with intention,

"...Living in alignment with your values takes knowing you, takes knowing your heart, and takes action. It is feeling at peace with your integrity. One way we can center our heart is being purposeful about living heart centered...Listening and being curious about our emotions without letting them take over our being can occur when you are in alignment with your heart."

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What did you do today to be in alignment with your heart?

?As a family we spent time sharing in nourishing conversations around being in appreciation and entering this season with a mindfulness of how we are showing up. We ingested much food for thought and committed to setting intentions to be present to love. We were given the gift of unconditional presence indulging in delectables thanks to a collective of chefs (particular shout out to my mother, my mother-in law, and Chef Zakiya Courtney at?Vegan Soul ). We got to be in a place of treasuring time together with an honest reflection on how we have historically and currently benefited from the Indigenous communities keeping our ancestors alive even when our ancestors treated them with cruelty and disrespect. We were inspired by the future generations within our household to read poetry that weaves appreciation, love, and connection. We wrote lists of what we appreciate to share throughout the day. These activities and experiences all felt like an extension of High Vibe Healing Collective's?Heart Centered Living Summit?wisdom put into action.

The golden nuggets that stood out from the Heart Centered Living Summit last weekend and the bounty of gifts cannot be wrapped up in a single article, yet suffice to say that it is just the beginning of the High Vibe Healing Collective building intentional possibilities for coaching connectedness, cultivating community, speaking truth of lived experiences, and creating authenticity of fully expressed heart wisdom.

Comment below as I am excited to hear what you did in this moment to stay connected with elevating your energies toward?health, healing, wholeness, and?heart-aligned equitable living!