Thank you for my wonderful birthday wishes last week. I felt very loved and cared about!
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And my birthday dream came true. Rob bought me a new hammock! Then he sneaked up on me in the backyard and caught me in action lounging. 😉
The best part of my birthday week though had nothing to do with my birthday. My best gift last week was learning that the wishes and dreams of several Women on Fire had come true!
Every single day I hear from women who are struggling yet moving forward. Struggling to discover their passion. Struggling to achieve dreams that seem out-of-reach. Struggling to stay brave and strong until they succeed.
The good news last week from Women on Fire members Mary Landberg, Michelle Tenzyk and Eva Tenuto is that no matter the obstacles on your journey, you can make your dreams happen.
They are role models who started out at ground zero — with only a thought, an idea, a dream — and now it’s real.
If you haven’t met them yet, let me introduce you!
The book I took with me to the hammock is Mary Landberg’s new Enduring Love — Inspiring Stories of Love and Wisdom at The End of Life.
Mary is a hospice nurse and photographer who took pictures of families holding hands, often on the final day of their loved one’s life.
These powerful photos are accompanied by the family’s beautiful and tender stories.
When Mary first came to Women on Fire a little over a year ago, her book was on the drawing board. She sacrificed and went out on a limb financially. She balanced her hospice shifts with getting the book done and did most of the planning and marketing herself. She created a fundraising campaign.
She took in love and support here to keep her going — and she kept going.
I’m sure there were plenty of scary moments. But she never gave up — and the miracle happened.
Now, with her book published, she is on her way to an even bigger dream. Her ultimate passion is to speak to groups “to ease the fear of death, define the purpose of life as shared with me by the dying, and inspire people to live fully while they are alive!”
Finishing her book led to this:
Mary’s caption for this photo: “This is what I am meant to do.”
Yes, it is, beautiful Mary. Thank you for bringing your gifts to the world.
Next on the dream-to-come-true circuit is Michelle Tenzyk. Here is a photo of us at a Women on Fire gathering in New York a couple of weeks ago.
At the Women on Fire retreat in Naples last winter, Michelle, a long-time corporate executive who now owns her own business, imagined starting a movement to help corporate women.
Last week, she launched The Truth Behind Our Titles (tm) and her first event — an evening in New York City on October 1 to support corporate women to find strength, resilience and hope in their lives.
She’s been cheered on by many Women on Fire sisters and has enlisted the collaboration of Kelley Black, a charter Women on Fire member, co-author in the first Women on Fire book and former corporate executive who will be one of the event’s guest speakers.
If you are struggling in a corporate environment and wish for more support, understanding and a path, grab your seat now to Michelle’s inspiring event.
Way to go, Michelle!
And, then we have Eva Tenuto, the founder and executive director of the nonprofit TMI Project. Double good news for Eva!
Here is a video of her doing the very thing she empowers others to do — to tell the truth of their lives.
Ever grateful, Eva says, “I get to witness all of these people tell their truth, release their shame, and become more of who they are.”
Producing “living room shows” since she was 5, Eva today creates forums for many who would not have a voice at all — incarcerated boys, imprisoned women, people with mental illness. Her own struggle with clinical depression and her journey in recovery from addiction and mental illness is often the subject of her own talks.
Good news #1: Eva’s local YWCA selected the TMI Project as the 2014 Organization of the Year!
Eva Tenuto gets married! (Photo by Emily Tenuto)
Good news #2: This past weekend Eva married her long-time girlfriend Julie in a beautiful ceremony in New York. Best wishes to the newlyweds. You are so deserving of your many dreams coming true, Eva!
There are many more of you whose dreams are blossoming. Please feel free to share on the blog your good news. It is the best way we can inspire each other to know what is possible! A rising tide lifts all boats…
OK, back to the hammock for me. How are you spending your upcoming holiday week? Have a sparkly one!
Love,
