Well hello there! It's been quite a while since I've posted here and I
have big news to share with you!
As some of you may remember, I
declared myself on official hiatus from retreats for 2017. After 20+
years of producing and facilitating 6-8 healing retreat intensives
per year, it took a few life-changing events to nudge me out of that
particular nest, but this past 7 months have confirmed that it was
indeed, the right time! I love, love, love my work, but
sometimes we have to STOP before we can BEGIN the next thing. I
didn't know what that next thing was until it recently crystallized
right in front of me.
To
give you a bit of the back-story, when my husband Jim and I began our
courtship, we both had a sense that we were called to do
something together; something
bigger than a relationship and life partnership. We had no
idea what that was or how we would combine our gifts and
talents...mine in the healing field for over 25 years and his as a
headhunter/recruiter for nearly 30...but we trusted we'd be shown the
way when the time came. It did and we were. It was like bouncing
around in a bubble-suit for a while, which was both exhilarating and
terrifying, but we have resilience if we have anything, and here we
are! (more on that later)
Jim's
super-power is his true heart of service. For as long as I've known
him, he has dreamed of a place where Veterans and Families could
receive the support and healing they truly need and deserve. As a
Marine Corp veteran himself, he is fully aware of the challenges our
service members have with reintegration and recovery of Self. For the
past 4 years, has worked as a Certified Peer Specialist in the
Williamson County Veterans' court and Travis State Jail Veteran
Re-entry dorm, as he's continued in various levels of training,
coaching and certification programs to broaden his base of knowledge
and experience. He was also involved in several Veteran based
non-profits during this time, which helped him hone in on his own
vision of the type of organization he wanted to create; a place
that would provide support and assistance to Veterans and their loved
ones through integrative therapies, healing/wellness modalities and
most importantly, peer-to-peer community.
All
this was happening while I was healing and recovering from breast
cancer, winding down my retreat schedule, getting my Soul
Realignment, Nia, and HealthRhythms Drumming certifications as new
offerings in my Soul Integration work...you know, those things I
never had time for before. Something happens when you've been in a
battle for your life (or your partners' life). Everything shifts and
mortality is suddenly a very real thing. No time to waste “deciding”
to live. You ARE living and time is precious.
That's when it
happened, I think.
We emerged victorious from 2016, alive, well and
very grateful. In February, Jim took a courageous
leap of faith and applied for (and received) 501c3 non-profit status.
Just like that, Code VI Veteran Integration Center was born!
Since
then, it's been a whirlwind of learning, experience and growth as
we've navigated the waters of the non-profit world, keeping our
truest intention constant, which is to Ignite
the Spark of Hope and Resilience in Veterans & Families.
It was obvious early on that not only is Jim stepping into his Divine
purpose that he's been called to his whole life, but this is the
“what” we sensed we would do together. The unfolding and marrying
of our best gifts, talents and experiences in
service to others
has been as organic as our courtship was. We “knew”; even if we
didn't know we knew.
Oh,
but that's not all! As if this wasn't a huge enough endeavor, when he
founded Code VI, we simultaneously started a private-label coffee
company, www.codevicoffee.com,
with the intent
to donate 50% of coffee profits to Code VI Veterans! We LOVE coffee
(and it's GOOD coffee!) and it seemed like a brilliant idea at the
time, but it didn't take long to realize this too, is a full time
prospect and our energy to do both started dwindling. So, we did what
we know to do: we stepped back, remembered our “why” and asked
for guidance. Guidance came, the decision was made, and we are
currently in the process of merging the two (which seems like a
no-brainer
now).
This not only enables us to focus on what's most important, but will
allow us to now offer 100%
of our coffee profits to Code VI Veterans...a win all the way around!
What
it gives YOU is
- A place to receive support and assistance if you are a Veteran, active service, or family member.
- An impactful, tax deductible way to give back to our service members, and/or
- Some really, REALLY good coffee (that 100% supports Veterans' healing and integration).
So,
why am I telling you all this? Because I want you to KNOW! Not just
about our mission, but to inspire and encourage you to find your own! I had no idea we'd be doing
this a year ago! It happened because we were willing. We
didn't know the how or the when, but by listening and trusting
guidance, engaging in the process, and exploring what we felt drawn
to (instead of holding tight to what we already knew), we were
directed and aligned with the right people, places and things that
brought Code VI to fruition.
Whatever
it is you're dreaming of, let it have it's way with you. It
can and will happen the moment you STOP and let it BEGIN.
Don't let go of your nudge or your feel good; just let go of how it
happens. Step back, remember your “why” and ask for Guidance.
Don't ever give up on that! Explore. Listen. Ask questions. Immerse
yourself in those things and with those people who are doing what you
want to do, or something like it. Ask for help from a coach or
mentors, but remember...only YOU can do it YOUR way ! Let us know if
we can help. We're cheering you on and can't wait to see what you
create!
While
you're letting that percolate, (pun intended!) go check out what
we're up to, give if you feel moved to, and/or get yourself some
delicious Code VI Resilience
Blend Coffee!
www.integratedveteran.org and www.codevicoffee.com (soon to be one and the same!)
