We belong to a program called Harvest Hosts which we highly recommend.  You are allowed to camp at breweries, wineries, museums or farms for free, they just ask that you support the business by purchasing something from them during your stay.  It’s been wonderful for us so far and we haven’t been anyplace we haven’t liked and the hosts have always been fabulous.  However, we do have a favorite…. The Gourd Barn. 

The Gourd Barn is just across the Mackinaw Bridge in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (UP) and a short drive from three of the Great Lakes; Huron, Michigan and Superior.  Rick and Clarlyn Ledy are the owners and hosts and made our stay there back in August one to remember. 
We arrived later in the evening and arranged for a tour of the barn in the morning.  We had a beautiful, quiet spot in the back of their property and woke refreshed the next morning.  Clarlyn gives the best tour and is so creative with her amazing gourd art including gnome homes, birdhouses, vases and much more.  She makes beautiful suncatchers and also wind chimes using empty bottles.  For a reasonable price and advance notice, she will teach you, with great patience, how to make your own.   Her flowers are well tended and colorful; the chickens gentle and sweetly chatty.  The fences are also colorfully adorned with everything from hats to metal art.  Windchimes play songs with each gentle breeze and the windpump makes a soft clicking noise as if it was pumping water from the ground.  

The barn originally housed pigs, horses and cows; now it is home to beautiful gourd art, interesting collectibles (some for sale) and a tastefully decorated barn filled with stories.  Neon beer signs adorn the bar area, vintage quilts hang from the rafters and treasures collected throughout the years cover the walls, but not so much that the sunlight can’t peek in through the cracks.  Every year (except this year due to COVID) they have a barn dance which will be on our schedule next year.  I can imagine the barn full of friends and family, dancing, singing karaoke, tossing back a few drinks under the sparkling lights and the clear September Michigan sky. 

Steve used to do architectural photography years ago and the barn piqued his interest.  After our barn tour, we asked if we could take pictures of it for Clarlyn and she enthusiastically said yes!  Our stay at the Gourd Barn was extended another night so we could get some twilight shots. 

The next day we were reorganizing things and our artwork came up in conversation.  We pulled out our three pieces of our joint artwork; photographs transferred onto wood that have been torch and fractal burned.  Clarlyn asked if we would do a custom piece of a photograph of their barn for their new bedroom addition.  We happily agreed and found some tongue-and-groove pine upstairs in the barn to use and started gluing it together. 

Our stay at the Gourd Barn continued as we worked on the wood for the custom piece.  We were generously given fresh eggs from the sweet chicken girls and produce from their amazing gardens each day.  Clarlyn and I spent some time chatting throughout our days there and she happened to mention they wanted to take a trip for the month of October but needed someone to stay at the house.  “Would you and Steve be interested?”, she asked me.  After a brief discussion between Steve and I we decided it would be a great opportunity to work on some art and take a break from bus life so we happily agreed. 

October at The Gourd Barn. 

We arrived close to the end of September and got instructions from Clarlyn on how everything worked in the house, the shop, for Harvest Hosts and how to take care of the chickens.  They left a couple of days after we arrived on an extended road trip to visit friends and family.  Rick also had some time for pheasant hunting trip in SD during their trip. 

I felt like I was a little girl playing house for a while.  We had a real oven, a dishwasher, washer and dryer and heat!!  We do have an oven (we rarely use it as it gobbles our precious electricity) and heat in the bus, but we had room to move around and not always be within 3 feet of each other. 

We started working on our artwork, first selecting images, then tweaking them in Photoshop so the photo was only of the subject, finally working on the wood to which they would be transferred.  Gluing the planks together turned out to be a bit of a challenge at times, the wood slabs we had brought from CO were big and still needed sanding.  We had Rick’s shop for sanding and gluing and Clarlyn’s studio for transferring and varnishing.  The space was perfect. 

Originally, we had looked forward to this time but challenges seemed to hit us daily.  We started testing different transfer mediums (water vs. alcohol based), painting on transfer film, and making skins out of a medium that can have a photograph transferred onto it.  The water-based transfers were inconsistent, sometimes they worked, most of the time they didn’t.  Painting on transfers didn’t work and we tried many variations of ways.  The skins were made but we had them on the wrong kind of plastic so they could not be peeled off.  We learned from each experience but the frustration was taking its toll.  It became less fun and more work.

Realizing the water-based transfers just weren’t working consistently for us we decided to try going back to alcohol-based transfers.  We had bought thirty 10”x 10” cradled panels and transfers onto those was going well.  Flowers and butterflies were successfully transferred onto various wood pieces and we felt inspired and that we were making progress. 

We had not yet transferred Rick and Clarlyn’s barn photograph.  We finally decided we needed to do it so we could get it varnished in time for their arrival back home.  As Steve was pulling the transfer film off the wood it shifted just slightly, enough to make the barn have an interesting angle to it.  It was subtle but he could see from my face that it wasn’t going to work.  We quickly ran the piece into the house and grabbed our big laundry basket to hold the water (so the residue would not go into their septic tank), and started scrubbing off the transfer.  It worked and we set the wood by the fireplace to dry. 

The next time we transferred the image it was perfect.  I was almost in tears of relief that it worked and how it looked on the wood we had so carefully burned and sanded.  It soaked up about 5 coats of varnish and turned out beautifully. 

We learned much from our time at The Gourd Barn.  We worked our way through frustrations and learned new ways are not always the best.  We were able to take time to spread out a bit, okay, a lot compared to what we are used to.  We had the time to experiment with new methods and learn what could work for us.  Steve was able to get reacquainted with Photoshop and even show me, step by step, how he was editing. 
​
We have two new friends in Rick and Clarlyn.  For this, and so many things we continue to express gratitude.  The new artwork will be displayed on our website soon.  

Echinacea - six 10" x 10" cradled panels from Clarlyn Ledy's garden

As we are getting into the groove of living in the bus, we have much to be thankful for.  So many of our family and friends have allowed us to “camp” on their property.  We stayed near two different lakes in MN with friends, in the towns of Green Bay and Racine with friends and family, on some beautiful property near Janesville, WI also with friends and at a beautiful barn in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where we made new friends.  Many generous gifts were given and gratefully received by us; quiet places to sleep, real showers, time to do laundry, vehicles to borrow for sightseeing and wonderful conversations which created beautiful memories. 

We were also able to spend a day touring Teddy Roosevelt National Park in ND with Steve’s mom, Lana.  The views were stunning as the fall colors are just starting to show themselves.  Her warmth and gentleness are always a blessing. 

Today, September 17th, we are in Makoti, ND at a quiet and dark baseball field on the outskirts of town.  The sounds after dark are the breeze gently moving the leaves of the trees and an occasional nocturnal bird.  The cool air is refreshingly chilly.  We are heading back near St. Ignace, MI to housesit for some new friends during the month of October.  This will allow us precious time to complete some new artwork in anticipation for art festivals starting up again.  We are grateful for this gift of time and space.     

This brings me to the concept of reciprocity which I learned about in a 21 Days of Abundance group that a new friend, Susan Armstrong, invited me to join.  This is a 21-day program led by Deepak Chopra and he states:

“When your mind and heart are truly open abundance will flow to you effortlessly and easily”.

Now we go back to earlier today at the motel Steve’s mom was staying at in Dickinson, ND.  We moved the bus to the parking lot behind Lana’s motel as she was leaving early this morning to make her way back to Colorado.  After we saw her off, I finished my hot cup of coffee.  Steve had gone out for a short walk and there was a soft knock on the bus door.  Carla (name has been changed), stood outside the door in the bright sunshine and told me she just left me a message on our website saying how much her daughters enjoyed seeing our bus with sunflowers on it outside their motel room window and that it made them smile.  There was no hesitation as I invited her inside.  She told me they were in transition, and at the moment, basically homeless as she had just left an abusive situation.  We hugged tightly (COVID be damned) and we both felt led by divine intervention to this time together and chatted for a while. I listened, offered some words of encouragement and what cash I had so she could treat her daughters to something nice. 
Carla accepted the cash gift and returned a short time later with two bags filled with handmade soaps, bath bombs, scrubs, candles and cups that she sells in addition to her job as a nighttime phlebotomist at the local hospital.  We gratefully accepted these beautiful gifts and one cup we found particularly relevant.  It says

“Faith over Fear.  Accept what is, Let go of what was and have faith in what will be”. 

This is something Steve and I both aspire to live by, letting the universe take care of everything and not worry.  Deepak Chopra’s quote of abundance above ties into this beautifully and is something we strive to live by. 

I then began to go through the mail that Lana brought to us (we use her mailing address) which had been collected over the past few months, and I found some checks that I hadn’t expected from the sale of my house last June.  This led me to remember Deepak Chopra’s Law of Giving and Receiving that I also learned about in the 21 Days of Abundance program. 

“The universe operates through dynamic exchange…giving and receiving are different aspects of the flow of energy in the universe.  And in our willingness to give that which we seek, we keep the abundance of the universe circulating in our lives”. 
​
We have received so much since our journey in our bus began, but haven’t had much opportunity to give.  I texted Carla and asked if she would allow us to pay for a room for her and her daughters for the next week while she worked on finding a new place to live.  Carla hesitated briefly, but gratefully accepted the offer.  I went into the front desk of the motel and explained what I wanted to do and gave Carla’s room number.  The gentleman working behind the desk took my information and generously gave me a 25% discount on the price of their room mentioning he was paying it forward.  I then asked if we could top off our water tanks in the bus and it was quickly arranged and taken care of.  Reciprocity. 

I encourage all of us to take the following steps, per Deepak Chopra, each day.

“1. Wherever I go, and whomever I encounter, I will bring them a gift.  The gift may be a compliment, a flower or a prayer.  Today, I will give something to everyone I come into contact with, and so I will begin the process of circulating joy, wealth, and affluence in my life and in the lives of others. 

2. Today I will gratefully receive all the gifts that life has to offer me.  I will receive the gifts of nature; sunlight, the sound of bird singing, spring showers, or the first snow of winter.  I will also be open to receiving from others, whether it be in the form of a material gift, money, a compliment, or a prayer. 
​
3. I will make a commitment to keep wealth circulating in my life by giving and receiving life’s most precious gifts: the gifts of caring, affection, appreciation and love.  Each time I meet someone, I will silently wish them happiness, joy and laughter.”
 
I have gratitude for each moment, each day, and accept all that is offered me.  In return, I give gifts in many forms to those I am blessed to encounter each day.  My wish for us all is a life filled with abundance and reciprocity.  

​My junior high school math teacher and a former boyfriend of my Mom’s lives in Lander, WY.  John Boulette.  He grew up in Lander, seems to know everyone and is very active in the community.  His brother also lives there and has a veterinary practice not far from where John lives.  His house is on around an acre and a half with a small stream running next to it, on the other side of the fence.  Doves cooing loudly and robins flying over our heads greeted us as we pulled into his circular driveway.  Aspen trees quaked gently in the breeze around his home and pine trees offered a fresh change from the diesel smell of the bus engine. 
John was aware of our trailer hitch situation and had already started trying to find us a welder to help us reattach our hitch to the bus.  A mechanic he knew, Brynn, was willing to look at our bus and give us his opinion.  We drove up a bumpy road to Brynn’s shop.  He recommended an extensive rebuild of the trailer hitch including steel beams and plates.  However, Brynn, known for his mechanical aptitude, was not an expert welder and seemed reluctant to take on our task as he was leaving town the next day. 
The next morning, we were visited by two welders.  The first, Lee, agreed with Brynn’s solution and said he could help us but not for a couple of weeks.  The second, Forrest, (Phillips, not Gump) came over a bit later.  Forrest is a larger man yet adeptly crawled under the bus to check out the hitch situation.  A simple “I can fix it so it won’t break again” was about all he said, then added "people like to make things more complicated" after Steve started to go over the scenario recommended by Brynn from the night before.  That solution was more than necessary to Forrest.  He told us to call him in the morning if we wanted him to work on it.  Steve and I decided we liked Forrest’s simple approach and reinforcement with some steel plates that he had on hand and decided we would call him in the morning.   
We spent the rest of the day touring Lander with John as our guide, stopping at Sinks Canyon (where the river flows under the mountain) and other beautiful sites around Lander.  John seems to know everyone and everything about Lander and it was enjoyable and relaxing to be in his company. 
The next morning Forrest called John and told us to be there at noon.  We went to the local Farmer’s markets, drove up into the mountains, then drove the bus to Forrest’s house.  We had to drive down a small alley and back the bus up close to his shop.  Steve’s driving skills, especially backing up with or without a trailer, are amazing and Forrest guided Seven’s back end right where he wanted it. 
It was a hot day and Forrest never waivered on his offer to help us.  We left in John’s truck but went back a couple of hours later with a cold root beer for Forrest.  Progress was being made, but Forrest has the “gift of gab” and was chatting with a friend taking a break from the heat when his drink was delivered.  Saying he was halfway through; he called an hour later to say it was done. 
We went back to pick up the bus and Forrest did a beautiful reinforcement and hitch repair for us.  We sat and chatted for a bit.  He is a kind and beautiful soul and we are grateful for his help and gentle spirit. 
Returning to host’s home, we made our him a non-meat sloppy joe/macaroni and cheese dinner and chatted outside until the mosquitoes became too hungry.  The next morning, we headed out to our next adventure toward South Dakota, gratefully taking a renewed friendship with an amazing man with us. 
The kindness we have been shown so far on our journey at first glance is surprising, but upon contemplation of us and the purpose of our journeys, to change the world with love, gratitude and kindness, it really is no surprise at all.  There will be challenges ahead.  Living all together will not always be easy, yet the universe is taking care of us as we know she would.  

Seven ready for her welding.  

A nice, snug fit.  

Steve, Forrest and Jennifer post welding.  We are so grateful to this wonderful man for helping us with a beautiful weld job and some wonderful conversations.  

The first two days
June 24, 2020
We planned on leaving Fort Collins, our temporary home for the past 6 weeks, this day.  Sunny and warm, the dirt parking lot dry beneath our feet.  Steve’s family always close by had spoiled us.  The time we were able to spend with them had nurtured our spirits, giving us strength for our new nomadic existence.  Together.  Two cats and two dogs in addition to the two of us. 
We learned much these past 6 weeks.  It was a necessary baby step into this next adventure in our lives.  Parked near Steve’s brother-in-law’s boat repair shop behind a health club we eased into living in a bus.  We had projects to finish, the bus needed to be painted, and we needed time to learn how to make this work.  Brent was a huge help with some fiberglass projects and his companionship and easy nature was truly a pleasant thing to experience. 
However, challenges presented themselves without warning.  The constant walking over animals became unbearable at times for Steve.  The constant cleaning up after animals became a chore I had started to dread.  Especially when “accidents” happened, which they did.  It is a big adjustment for us all, humans and animals.  It is not easy for any of us. 
After a long talk with Steve’s Mom, Lana, our spirits were renewed and our love for each other and this life we had chosen 4 years ago deepened.  Her wise words and gentle yet firm guidance helped us find the necessary tools inside us to take this step.  Driving off into the world. 
We had started the bus about five days earlier, just to make sure it still started.  We got packed up, things put away, put the keys in, and then nothing.  Our batteries had drained (our ignition appears to be tricky at times to shut off).  We just sat there for a moment, not trying to read anything into what had just happened.  Brent gave us a jump; we found an auto parts store nearby to have our batteries tested at and we drove off. 
The batteries tested low, but appeared to be recharging, however there was mention of a ripple, not the sci-fi type, but something to do with the alternator.  Since Seven the bus was running, we headed off, north to Laramie, WY, planning on stopping at a truck stop there to check our tire pressure, batteries and fluid levels. 
The drive was beautiful.  Sunny and surprisingly not too windy.  We found a new Love’s truck stop and spent around 2 hours trying to figure how to check our tire pressure, what pressure they should be inflated to, and checking our fluid levels.  We finally decided on 90PSI for the tire pressure and had them filled for us for five dollars, well worth it.  Seven seemed to be enjoying her first outing and running well, so off we went. 
Our first destination was Rawlins, WY, or somewhere near there to sleep for the night.  I-80 with its’ usual gusty winds was a bit of an unpleasant challenge, but we made it through and found a beautiful spot just north of Rawlins in BLM land to sleep for the night.  The sunset was spectacular, the hint of the crescent moon was not bright enough to dim the lights of the billions of starts, galaxies and planets we could see in the sky.  The quiet around us was only occasionally interrupted by a faint noise from the highway about 2 miles back. 
 
June 25, 2020
The sun woke us up with its’ warmth and the birds serenaded us with their songs.  Two gentlemen on bicycles stopped as they passed us and asked if we had water to spare.  They were biking to Rawlins, WY and planning on getting a hotel room, a pizza and some beer that evening as they had been camping out much of their trip.  After filling their water bottles and a brief chat they headed out and we followed in opposite directions. 
On our way toward Lander, WY to visit a friend, John Boulette, we stopped in Jeffrey City.  This town used to house many of the miners that worked in the nearby uranium mines.  Greeting us when we stopped were a family of antelope, guarded by a strict male who uttered cough-like grunts at us to keep us away.  We leashed up the pups and headed out for a walk, keeping our distance from the antelopes.  Storm clouds created an eerie backdrop for this forgotten city.  Abandoned buildings surrounded us.  Between small roads homes once stood; where children played, where laundry hung out to dry; now flat and empty.  The field where the high school once stood, complete with an Olympic size pool, is now covered in straw to help keep dust from blowing in the Wyoming winds.   Bunkhouses for the men, apartments and mobile homes appeared to be unoccupied.  The mines closed in 1981 and the inhabitants left for other opportunities, they left these buildings to fend for themselves. 
Our next stop was a used bookstore at Sweetwater Station.  It started to rain and our bus would have been a tight fit in their small driveway so we stopped it on the highway, put the hazard lights on and headed toward the bookstore which also sold fresh eggs.  We passed old, vacant cabins in various states of collapse.  After braving the coming rain, we found the bookstore was not open so we scurried back up the hill to the bus.  A bit wet, we shed our coats and……Seven would not start.  Steve tried many times and nothing. 
Not knowing what else to do, I looked up the phone number to the Mad Dog and the Pilgrim Booksellers.  A kind woman answered the phone and I explained where we were and our predicament and if someone there could possibly help us and jump our bus battery.  She wasn’t at the shop and her partner had just had knee surgery and wasn’t mobile yet but she suggested we look across the street and if there was a white truck there it belongs to a nice man named Joe who would help us.  I looked out the window and Joe was outside; told her I saw him and we said goodbye. 
Steve ran across the street, explained our situation to Joe, and Joe hopped in his white Chevy Silverado, hooked up chains to our bus (23,900 pounds without water or the trailer, both of which we now had), and pulled us off the highway into the open area in front of a couple of buildings.  He said he’d help us as soon as the rain stopped and then just disappeared.  We never saw which direction he went; he just wasn’t there anymore. 
A voice spoke softly to Steve and told him to try turning on the bus again.  He listened, turned the key, and Seven started right up as if nothing had happened.  The rain eased up and we pulled the bus forward a bit out of the deeper puddles from the rain.  Still no sign of Joe.  Steve went out to try to see where Joe had gone and looked at the trailer hitch, which was in the process of breaking off the back of the bus, A poor welding job done long ago just wasn’t able to keep the bouncing trailer secure much longer. 
Joe appeared from around a building and gave us a tour of the bar he had just purchased.  The previous owner had walked away from it as business had slowed to a crawl.  The roof was nonexistent in places, but the potential was there.  Bar stools still held their place proudly in front of the small wooden bar with a cash register at one end.  Joe, dressed in blue jeans, boots and a comfortable-looking shirt, offered us free glasses, magazines, a drink from an abandoned bottle of spirits, all of which we politely declined.  We went back outside to see what we could do about the trailer situation.  Joe helped us get the hitch back up to about where it was when it broke and we unhitched the trailer.  He kindly offered to let us leave it there until we could get the hitch fixed in Lander.  Our small trailer and our two bikes attached to it wait patiently for us to return to Sweetwater Station.  

Storm clouds over Jeffrey City.

Mad Dog and the Pilgrim Booksellers

Our original weld gone bad.  

Our trailer left with Joe will wait patiently for our return.  

Seven just before spray foaming.  Pristine, well, sort of.  Cleaner than she had been in a long time.  Taped and ready for spray foam insulation installation. 
Seven just after spray foaming.  A mess.  A complete mess.  A daunting task to scrape off the unwanted spray foam insulation from where it need not be.  Finding the lights in the back and the front so carefully taped over. 

Seven's transformation is very much like our own.  She went from a clean, beautiful shell back to her insides being a mess.  She took a step back.  Just as we do.  We feel the patterns arising again.  Instead of choosing love, we choose ego.  Denying that we are there, going through the motions of love with no love behind the actions. 

My truly amazing partner and I struggle with this often.  Way more often than we would like.  Our desire is to always come from love.  Our reality is to allow ego to once again rear its' ugliness, allow the insecurities to flow through us as if in our veins.  allow the fear to once again take over.  Once step back.  Yet again.  The pattern is exhausting, full of frustrations.  As I looked into his eyes last night before he went to bed I saw no love from his eyes.  Absolutely none.  The ego had once again landed strongly in him.  No matter what I ask, how I try, the ego has it's hold on him and I cannot break it.  He must break from his ego.  Just as I must break from mine when it controls me with its' speak of unworthiness, unlovable, ugly. 

I ask repeatedly, time after time, is it gone yet...meaning the ego.  Time after time, the same reply....yes, it is gone.  Yet the empty and cold eyes looking at me when these words are spoken tell me differently.  The ego is there, strong and controlling.  I can see it in his expression.  On silent drives home. 

My first reaction?  Let my ego take over.  Push away as I can do so very well.  What does my heart tell me?  Run to him, hold him close, let my love reduce his ego to what it should be, what ours should be.....nothing.  We have no need for our ego's protection, its way of making us feel less than we truly are to serve its own purpose. 

Can we come from love?  Of course.  Can we do it always?  Of course not.  We are in transformation, learning the path of love, stumbling as we go and sometimes taking a very unwanted and unwelcome step back after taking many steps forward. 

It is not an easy process, this thing called transformation.  We, as little caterpillars, try so hard to make our cocoons to transform ourselves into the butterflies we know we can be.  We must have patience and love for ourselves during these times, when the cocoon just won't hold our caterpillar bodies, allowing the transformation to fully happen.  We, as human caterpillars, must allow for these moments, but we must learn from them and continue on our path to transformation.  Continue taking steps forward and treating ourselves and each other with love when there is a step back. 

--Jennifer

Frustration is taking me over.  I am frustrated with our bus Seven, with myself, with Steve, with everything having to do with this transformation. 

Answers to our questions of "How do we do...." framing around the windows, the bus heater than we may or may not should have torn out, the control panel in the front, how to finish the front stairs.....never seem to have answers. 

The question of "How will we pay for all this"?  The heater, the refrigerator, the solar panels, the composting toilet, the hot water heater. 

The question of "How and where will we mount the water tanks, the propane tanks?  How will we add a tow hitch? What will we be towing for Steve's artwork?". 

How will it all come together?  How can there be so many facebook pages, blogs, Skoolie sites, and youtube videos and no answers to our questions?  How much more time can I waste looking for answers that are nowhere to be found?

I am tired.  Tired of no answers, tired of physically hurting, tired of not agreeing on finishes to the bus.....just tired. 

Hope and faith.....this is all I have left. 

Hope that the frustration will give way to inspiration.  Hope the physical pain will decrease.  Hope that the answers will come. 

Faith in that all will work out.  Faith in that our ideas will work.  Faith in that the money will come.  Faith in that WE can make it work, with the love of each other, on a bus, together.  I gotta' have faith. 

-Jennifer

​Two People...One Bus...sharing in a process...the Process of Transformation.

The result of plugging "define transformation" into the almighty Google Algorithm was this, and for once it seemed, I actually was presented with the information I was looking for, right there in front of me at the top of the screen...

TRANS-FOR-MA-TION
tran(t)sfərˈmāSH(ə)n/
noun

"A thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance."

It is a simple and most profound way to describe this amazing segment of our now shared journey. The way in which this particular definition seems to resonate is quite remarkable.

First, because we recently acquired this classic 1989 BlueBird School BUS, and over time, it will go through its own dramatic change in form and appearance. A transformation from hauling screaming but eager to learn young ones in a Southern Colorado school district, to eventually become our shared home as we travel about somewhere...wandering aimlessly.

Second, and most importantly is US. It actually began about 2 years ago when we first made this most amazing personal discovery of each other. Our 50 plus years in creating and following distinctly different paths, each in their own states of condition and direction, and finally merging to form a common path. Drawn together for what I'm sure is a multitude of universal cosmic reasons.

At the top of this list of explanations, because I'm sure there is a list somewhere and it probably rests amongst a large pile of receipts that still await entry into the QuickBooks account, is this one strong and deep down shared desire. The desire to TRANSFORM, and be free of our freaking habitual minds and to finally choose peace. To make the choice to come from love instead of that sneaky thing called the ego. Which we both know may have been there for us to somehow keep us safe and protected...but which now we have decided no longer serves us. To finally allow that stillness of peace, that is already there at our disposal, into our everyday existence. To let it become the new habit instead of this fleeting, seemingly out of reach fantasy.

This new chosen way of existence also coincides with the letting go of our old stories. The stories that we've created for ourselves and have become very firmly attached to. We started and built upon those stories with everything we experienced in the past. Then allowed them to be reinforced by everything we did, said...and had done and had said to us. Then seemingly allowing those very same stories to become part of our personal identity. That personality is the one we were taught to be so proud of, the one that we thought defined us. But that in actuality has nothing to do with us, because it is after all, only a story, albeit a firmly entrenched one.

Together we have chosen to transform, with that dramatic change in form or appearance coming from within. Not so much a visual change but an inner change. One you can't really see on the surface but one that can be felt...and what an amazing difference it can be.

We choose to allow the energy and love to flow in every moment. Instead of choosing to act out from that story in our minds because of a seemingly random, strategically place trigger. But which actually serves a purpose. In providing us the opportunity to react differently. In a way that is peaceful instead of not. In a way that is loving instead of not. In a way that frees us from those shackles that we for so long let bind us. As we were bound to the habit of ego fulfillment.

It has been a challenge at times and may continue to be. We shall indeed find out...and it will be amazing...as we TRANSFORM together.

-Steve