healing your heart 93
I sat down and turned on Oprah — and Il Divo was singing
“ Amazing Grace ”! That evening I was at the movies with a
friend, and I told her of my experience and asked if something
was going on. The movie was The Secret Life of Bees , and
in the middle was, of course, “ Amazing Grace. ” I was totally
confused and blown away. I felt it was way past coincidence.
I called one of my daughters and recounted this story, and
she said, “ Maybe you are supposed to make a difference! ”
I hope I can one day realize my dream and make that differ-
ence for others.You may be sitting there thinking that Sandra ’ s story sounds
painfully like yours, but you feel that your life is still largely dis-
abled by your emotional baggage. You may be feeling better since
you have already vastly improved your diet and exercise habits,
have started journalizing, and have even actively participated in
the experiential challenges that have begun to open your mind
to new possibilities, but you are still unsettled by how your feel-
ings can unpredictably carry you away like a tsunami. Don ’ t worry,
feeling your emotions can be a terrifying experience if you haven ’ t
done so in a few decades, and you may feel worse before you feel
better, but the good news is, you will feel better, and any pain
will be worth the upcoming rewards of unloading your emotional
baggage!
Day 8: Listen to the Song of Life
My musician friend Julee shared this amazing story about the pal-
liative and healing effect of music. Julee and her husband, Mark,
travel around the world singing and teaching professionally (learn
about them at http://www.littlewindows.net ). They often give workshops
on the power of traditional song and tell stories about its timeless
and mysterious nature. Traditional song has connections to a larger
picture of generations past and songs that have been passed down
from family to family. Traditional song comes out of a deep sense
of community, from gatherings on mountain porches to singers
around a turf fi re in Ireland. As Julee recalled,