A Commissioning

My sister-in-law is one of my favorite massage clients.

These days, she is doing the work of three people. She is working wife, full time mother (it's ALWAYS full time in my opinion, daycare or not), and nursemaid to an invalid husband--my brother. Her life has changed drastically in the last two years since my brother's diagnosis with the fatal MSA (Multiple System Atrophy) She must be made of steel to expend the physical and mental energy that she does every single day, and not wither and crumple from exhaustion. And this is why I love to have her on my table...feel her muscles finally go slack, drink in the healing touch that she never receives anymore, and turn off her mind.

But during this past appointment, right in the middle of her massage, she asked me if I would write her husband's story--complete with interviews and fact gathering--and record it in a book so that her 6 year-old son would have something to remember his father by when my brother is no longer with us. "Just take some time to think about this. I know it will be a lot of work and I'm willing to pay you whatever fee your freelance people charge...but I think with your writing skills, and being his sister, you'd be the best person for this task."

My heart was in my throat. I almost had to stop what I was doing. I was so very honored to be asked to do something like this. I immediately imagined using the Shutterfly book creation as a medium, when I'm all finished writing it. "Can I just tell you yes, right now?" I asked with a smile. She said absolutely.

I am really looking forward to doing this. But it has to be soon. This winter, in fact. Because we're just not sure how long my brother has. One bout with pneumonia or any other respiratory disease easily caught in this season could wipe him out, with his already-weakened lung power and labored breathing.

After Christmas, I will go over and start the first interview. His story will probably begin in our little house in Toledo, long before I was born. I will probably learn things about my brother that I never knew before, so it will be a gift for me as well.

The Universe continues to remind me why it is that I left the beautiful coast of California to return to my hometown, and it continues to take the sting off missing it there.

Rebirth ~ My Lomi Lomi Experience

I am in heaven.

No, seriously...Crowded House even said so.

If there is hell on earth
There must be heaven too
All in one place
And not a second to waste

I remember when Lomi Lomi was just some antiquated term I had to memorize on my first test in massage school. We studied the history of massage and all the different types that existed in ancient times. Lomi Lomi belonged to the Polynesians.

But it's not antiquated. It's alive and well; a Hawaiian tradition that's been passed down and just recently experienced a renaissance in spas and other bodywork centers.

Some therapists take the course and incorporate a few of the moves into their general massage. My sister--who NEVER does anything half-assed, took a 2-week course in Hawaii and learned how to do the real, bona fide Lomi Lomi Hawaiian Temple massage. She prices it high, because it's a very involved, labor-intensive treatment, but also so that people will respect its solemnity.

This specialized massage involves setting a prayer intention, Hawaiian chanting, specific music that works with the movement, minimal draping (I would never do this with anyone BUT my sister), and long, fluid, continuous forearm movements up and down the length of the body--using lots and lots of heated oil.

My sister, during her training, was instructed to do a kind of "vision quest" in which something would come to her to use in her own personal practice of this sacred work. A melody came into her head, which later became a Hawaiian lullaby that she would sing on her guitar before each treatment begins. It's a very nurturing and personal type of healing work. A spiritual embrace, if you will. And at the end, the last move is to cover the body completely with a drape, and then "unveil" the person a couple of times. Then oil is wiped off lovingly with a warm towel. I felt like a newborn baby, cleaned up and unveiled for her "new" life. My sister says this treatment is indeed supposed to symbolize a rebirth.

The profound thought that ran through my head (before slipping into Alpha state) was that this woman was always a teacher to me. From the time I was a toddler (she is ten years my senior) she would care for me like a pseudo-mother. She would take me on walks and teach me about birds migrating in the fall. She sang me to sleep with songs played on her guitar, and I later learned to sing from listening to her example. She was my piano teacher. And most importantly, she was my inspiration for following in her massage therapy footsteps. I believe that she will always be a teacher of sorts in this lifetime.

But today, she was my Medicine Woman. And she is the real deal.

The babying continued all the way back to her log cabin out in the country where her wonderful husband had fixed us both a scrumptious dinner, complete with a hearth fire, twinkly Christmas lights & music, and peaceful energy. Later in the evening we enjoyed sitting under the bright starry sky in her new hot tub...with NO light pollution anywhere around us...in the frosty air. Talk about a sensual paradise!

Yes, tonight I am in heaven. And my heart continues to overflow with gratitude.

Namaste.