Soylent Green

Happy Sunday!

What a beautiful day! I was not sure if it would be or not since it was raining cats and dogs last evening. In fact, I was hoping for a break from mowing, but getting outside in the sunshine is what the doctor ordered for me after a full week of coaching, school, and working with my book.

Last evening I took the time for myself to enjoy an older movie. On one of the classic movie channels Soylent Green was on and I haven’t seen this movie in many, many years. It is a futuristic movie made in 1973 starring Charleston Heston. As a kid, when I first saw this movie it frightened me of the future. The movies plot takes place in the year 2022 and they are living in the full greenhouse effect of darkness and heat. I found it very interesting that in the 70s that they fully understood the dangers in front of us and how the future might be. The year 2022 does not seem so far away any longer does it?

The movie had a strange revelation for my life when watching it. The very things we take for granted everyday were relished and wore a high price tag in this movie. A jar of strawberries was $150 per jar. Can you imagine? No, we do not want to go there, do we! For instance, they lacked sunshine, plant life, animals, fresh fruits, and vegetables, etc. Yes, this is a movie, but when they talked about what we know as Global Warming and it was alarming. Watching this movie brought me to my gratitude list in my heart. Do we look around daily enough to see what our gifts are?

Pocket of Pearls starts you on this journey of looking within and brings you to task to document what that inner voice is saying, while challenging you to be kinder. Are you continually telling yourself you do not have enough? If so, you will never have enough. If you are telling yourself you are not enough, you will never feel enough. See where I am going? Once we start changing this inner dialogue the sun starts shining – inside!

I will leave you with this thought today. Do you want a kinder voice? Do you want more in your life? If so, take this first step to start implementing Pocket of Pearls in your life daily. This journey of self-awareness is incredible and life changing for YOU! After all, you are the one who is starring in your own life… so start living it!

Love,

Merna

Don't Be Afraid to Look in the Mirror of Self...

The fourth of July is fast approaching and giving everyone a 3-day weekend! WooooHooo! I hope you find fireworks in your area. This weekend we are celebrating my parent’s 50^th wedding anniversary! For any couple, it is a fantastic milestone to celebrate with their families. My parents are making the joke that it feels longer! LOL… Really? How can you tell? I think that is a long time and many great stories to keep. They have their 6 children, in laws, significant others, and 12 grandchildren. It will be a great party!

I started my two courses for college last week on my trek to my bachelor degree in psychology. I am taking a statistics class and a psychology ethics class this term. I was a little hesitant at first and didn’t know what to expect. However, the first week in both classes grabbed my attention and I look forward to learning much more. My inner voice was a little shaky as I was overwhelmed with all the new software, navigation, and people I had to learn about with my two new courses. It took a couple days and I am settled in now for the ride!

I wanted to share with you some thoughts I received from one of my readers about Pocket of Pearls. She told me when she first heard the title of the book she got a tear in her eye; it hit a soft spot immediately! I commend her for NOT walking away, but chose to push through the feelings and learn more about it. She signed up for one of my workshops and then purchased 2 extra books for friends. In addition, she wanted to be sure she had future access to additional month’s journals. Yes, they are on Amazon and Barnes & Noble online at $9.95 each. I wanted to keep this a slim and affordable journal for everyone. Don’t forget to keep your monthly journals, so you can look back on your progress!

When I wrote Pocket of Pearls I went out of my way to make sure this was a comforting and inviting book since this is a very personal subject; we are talking about our self worth! It is a very private matter and subject to discuss. I do know this and want to remind you… Do not be afraid of looking in the ‘mirror’ of self – your soul is good, kind, and caring. When the tough gets going, reach out for some guidance~! Send me an email if you would like some avenues of support you can implement into your life. Go to my website for contact information. Also, if you are interested in hosting a Pocket of Pearls WorkShop in your area, send your request in.

Remember, you are not alone and have me in your 'pocket' daily with your Pocket of Pearls workbook in your handbag or by your bed before going to sleep.

See you next week and Happy 4^th!!

Love,

Merna

Sweet Summer Day

It is another beautiful sunny summer day in northern Iowa. The ground is pretty dry here, which seems strange with the extreme flooding South and Eastern Iowa had just had last week. I am running down the list of things I wish to get done outside today, one being mowing, which takes hours on my acreage. However, I do love to mow and it gets me outside to do many things. My thoughts are still with the flood victims daily and praying for them.

The first thing I do each morning is check my email accounts, I think most of us do this – right? :) I received an email from a woman who just received her Pocket of Pearls book in the mail from Amazon.com. She started reading the book while waiting in line at a drive through and the introduction drew her in. She sent me a heartfelt note of her initial reaction and Thank You for writing this workbook; she knew this is exactly what she needed for herself.

Until it is brought to our attention we can convince ourselves that our inner voice is ‘fine’. Well is it? Don’t you deserve it to be encouraging, comforting, and hopeful? Isn’t this how you treat your loved ones? You deserve more than just ‘fine’. For many people, this thought of looking within is VERY scary and this stops them from trying. Remember, your soul is good, kind, and caring... Do not be afraid. You have me in your pocket daily with you on this journey of finding a strong inner voice inside of you. You deserve the best life has to offer!

The voice, that so many of us have, that tells us to try and be perfect will wear us down internally and we are not aware of it’s power. I challenge you to take your first months’ journey with a Pocket of Pearls workbook to learn about you…Learn about the voice that fuels you daily, and find once again that sweetness to YOU. Your first month may be the hardest, but the most powerful since it is your first huge step. Kudos! Remember, healthy change takes time and your second month will be even better.

Here’s wishing you a wonderful Summer Sunday!

Merna

The Flooding in Iowa

I just returned from my Pocket of Pearl workshops in the Quad cities area of Iowa. I was staying with my sister and her family when the flooding in Iowa occurred. She lives about 1 hour away from the Cedar Rapids area; however, many in her community were being affected as well. All over South and Eastern Iowa the flooding ruined homes, businesses, and blocked roads.

We watched it on the nationwide news of CNN, the reports were frightening, and it was still raining. My stay was extended a few days since many roads and highways in Iowa were flooded. As I watched family after family interviewed, my heart went out to them. Many were without their homes and did not have flood insurance. Flooding was taking place in many areas of Iowa, while having a sad death toll as well. I am keeping them in my prayers daily that they find the strength to get through this.

We could not believe the flooding nightmare after watching and hearing of the Tornado’s that swept through Iowa the week before. My home in northern Iowa just had a weekend of serious ‘just misses’ with tornado's. However, Parkersburg, Iowa was wiped out. Many, many homes and businesses were completely flattened in a mere few minutes. In addition, to the Boy Scout camp in western Iowa that took the lives of 4 people.

We shake our heads and try to understand why, but there isn’t an answer we can accept. This is the time where people truly reach out to one another and where strangers step up to help as if they are family. Please keep the Midwest in your prayers and thoughts daily. It will take a long time to rebuild these cities and homes, and they will need your positive and healing energy during this time.

However, in some parts of this area life did go on as normal as possible. I attended my Pocket of Pearls workshops and met so many incredible people. Each person I personally spoke to connected with the need to find a softer voice for themselves. Many of the workshop participants purchased additional books for friends, while solidifying with me where to purchase their second month’s journal.

If you are interested in having a Pocket of Pearls workshop in your area, visit my website and click on the ‘Contact Merna’ in the upper right hand corner, click on the small Icon.

I leave you with my thoughts and prayers for the disaster victims and their families.

My Best,

Merna

The Path of Creating This WorkBook Series...

Hello!

I am on my much needed break from school and work this week, while preparing for my first Pocket of Pearls workshops in the Quad cities area in my home state of Iowa. As I was preparing for my interactive workshop using my workbook, I decided to read it once again. I read the introduction out loud in my home to get the feel of sharing it with a live audience. I have to say, these memories of my younger life still bring tears to my eyes; good and bad memories.

During my first year of sobriety in 1986 and being a young lady of 22, it was scary. For me, what was scarier was what I learned about myself in that first year and the relationship I had with Merna. It was very harsh and undefined. Our 20's are all about finding out who we are and I didn't have a clue. It really was the beginning of many things in my life. Back then, I lived on Sanibel Island, Florida and had returned to this state after rehab in Minnesota. I believed Florida was the place for me and my future.

After 1 1/2 years of living on Sanibel Island I missed home and my family, so I moved back to Iowa. By trade, I had been a hairdresser since I graduated from cosmetology school when I was 19. However, this last year and a half on Sanibel I worked in a health club and discovered a whole new world of fitness. It was a new door that opened for me and I studied everything I could get my hands on. We had a huge stack of fitness magazines in our lounge and I borrowed them nightly to absorb it all like a sponge.

Even tho I seemed to have left living in "tropical paradise" to go back to Iowa, it was definitely 'going home' to me. Many individual's move to Florida to discover this wonderful world of living in a tropical place. However, once you get there you realize how many jobs you need to work to survive and pay the rent. There were many times i had 3 jobs at once to just make ends meet. There was very little time to enjoy 'paradise'.

However, I have no regrets about the second time I lived in Florida. I originally moved there when I was 19 and spent two years on Sanibel as a hairdresser then also. I had a short year at home in Iowa in between, which is when I ended up in rehab. In total, I lived on Sanibel and the Ft. Myers area almost 4 years. I do had aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents near by, but working so hard didn't leave much family time for me.

When I moved back to Iowa for the last time I took away some very valuable lessons in life, a new trade {aerobics}, a couple life long friends, and my journaling of a softer voice.

It does not matter where you are and what you are doing, there is a silver lining to each experience we have - we just can't see it when we are sitting in the middle of it. That is normal and to be expected. We need to heal, find our way out, grow, and look back to see how far we have come, while treasuring it. This is the process!

Each workbook I have has a part of me and some of my very tough journey's in life.Once I reached my 30's my journey became harder. You will learn about this in each workbook...

Everyone has had very tough moments in their life and it is not a competition of who has it worse. We all have to find a way through our own life, while healing the tough spots. We each have to survived OUR life, so find a healthy path. Pocket of Pearls is an amazing workbook to get you started with a healthy path for YOU!

If I hadn't started on my inner voice back then, I wouldn't have grown within myself. However, I had to go through the bad to realize how deflating and demeaning I was to myself. It is time to change this and help others. This is what I want to share with you. You are NOT alone here at all!

The emails I have received about this workbook are incredible and each woman related to it immediately! It touches a soft spot in many women who realize they need work in this area, but never knew where to start. Here is your first stepping-stone and a powerful one at that. Doing this workbook, month after month,it is a great gift to yourself to stay on a healthy path.

Take care and I will see you next week!

Merna

Are You wearing Your Ruby Slippers?

Today is my first blog posting for Pocket of Pearls and I was tossing out ideas to myself on where to begin. Thinking of my self-journey that started in 1986, as a newly sober young woman, another moment in my life came back to me.

In my mid 20’s I opened a hair salon in my community. I was very nervous and excited at the same time. It was called ‘Visions’….Hmmm……I knew I could handle self-employment, yet the unknown frightened me of actually owning my own salon. The first few months were nerve wracking, but I did not give up. I continued to work hard while continuing to self-promote and one day – boom! I had more business than I could handle. However, I worked at it and was relentless!

I was thriving with my personal success and FELT successful as well. My sobriety and AA was teaching me so much about life! I really had learned how to stop and smell the roses, but it did take time and I had more to learn. Looking back just a few short years earlier and remembering being at the bottom of my self-worth before I became sober. I would of never imagined then, happiness was truly possible within ME! What I mean by this is I was happy and confident. Not arrogant, I just felt satisfied inside of me.

This is about the time I got my first tattoo. Yes, I have a tattoo of Mickey Mouse on my ankle with a magic wand in his hand. My entire life I have been a huge Disney fan and thought it was a perfect way to keep Mickey with me at all times. It reminds me that the kid in me will never die. Just ask my nieces and nephews!

I remember describing what I wanted in Mickey’s hand to the artist, which was a magic wand. My personal thoughts immediately were….the magic of ME starts inside of me… Hmmm…what a great thought. I have what I need to find peace and contentment with me already. I just have to remember sometimes it means swimming against the current, but it does make you stronger. I had to remember to reach out for support when times are tough, while being kind to self. Life is not about perfect days, but rather knowing when to enjoy each day we have.

Just like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz and her ruby slippers. All along, she had the power with her to go home, but she did not know it. My hope for you and your Pocket of Pearls journey is to start learning about your relationship with YOU. Do not be afraid, your soul is good, kind, and caring. Sometimes our tough times in life make a few tough layers we need to weed through to feel good again. Some of us need and desire the guidance/structure of a personal Life Coach. If you are ready for a great asset on this journey of self-discovery, I will find you the best fit in a coach for you. I would be happy to do just that, but it is up to you! A coach can show you a healthy path if you feel you have some tough issues to get past, while learning amazing tools for life. Remember, you are not alone. We all have tough layers of self to heal!

Keep in mind; you are already wearing your ruby slippers. Your journey of self-help can start today with your Pocket of Pearls workbook! This pocket journal gives you daily challenges to check in with YOU and work on your relationship with self. It starts you on this journey of finding peace and contentment.

See you next week!

Merna

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