Aspire Demo

Keeping Your Spirit Alive By Susanna Hargreaves helps, for we are not alone along this journey. Reverend Jacqueline McGrady of Nantucket, Massachusetts, surrounds herself with spirituality in a career serving God and his people through the Episcopal Church. She also serves the local community as manager of the Community Foundation for Nantucket. She has witnessed many spiritual experiences as an officiator and is the voice of reassurance during many stages of life—times of loss and celebration. Now a mother of two small children, McGrady has a deeper understanding of the spiritual experience. She expresses the challenges of juggling it all and how she tries to keep her spirit alive. Somehow she manages to balance family with being a spiritual leader. She confesses that she tries to make time to listen and honor her spirit. Her faith helps her, but it takes work. “These days I am searching more than finding. I watch the water, I examine the smallest details of a shell, I get lost in the eyes of my children, but really I am still reaching, striving, seeking, and sometimes not truly finding,” McGrady shares. “I have realized something. I need to serve. I love my children and believe the most important ‘job’ I will ever have is raising them, but I also have begun to realize that I need to be of service to the community in which I live. I have found some of the deepest spiritual fulfillment in my life while serving others. I believe that I have been called to serve, and when I honor that calling I feel more complete.” How do we find, create, and maintain spiritual balance? Our lives are filled with mentally, emotionally, and physically draining multitasking activities. How is it possible to keep our spirit alive and stay connected? There are several shining women in New England who readily share their insights on how they maintain or revive spirituality in their lives. PRIORITIZE Maria Noel Mandile, clinical herbalist, health journalist, and owner of Wintergreen Botanicals in Allenstown, New Hampshire, discovered a natural approach to creating balance in her life by making healing herbal teas, tinctures, and balms from the plants she grows. Mandile—who recently married, started a business, and moved into a new home— relates easily to the challenge of maintaining spiritual balance. “I find it very important to keep my values and goals in mind when taking on projects, prioritize, and say no when I feel life getting out of hand,” Mandile says. She renews her passion when she educates students about natural and healthy solutions. She discovered she empowers others and brings great comfort with the knowledge she shares. FIND YOUR PASSION “I have to do what I am passionate about. I hope that the legacy I leave includes a wonderful family; the education of a community in natural self-care; and a political climate that provides diverse, high-quality healthcare to everyone. But, I have learned that my goals are not the most important aspect of my life. It is the life I am living in the moment and my appreciation and accountability to it,” Mandile explains. HONOR YOUR CALLING Making a connection with others during these uncertain times FEEL & EXPERIENCE THE OCEAN Susan E. Gately, Ph.D., a mother and associate professor and director of the General Special Education Program at Rivier College in Nashua, New Hampshire, guides future educators with her knowledge of how to teach individuals with various disabilities. As a special educator whose lifelong work has been focused on literacy development for children with disabilities, Dr. Gately connects with all kinds of people. She says the ocean rejuvenates her spirit and makes her feel most alive. “It’s not hard for me to pinpoint what brings me peace: I love the beach. I love to sit at the beach and watch and listen to the waves. The sound of the waves coming into the shore fills me with a peace that is really difficult to explain, and if I were to try to explain it, it might diminish my awe. I love to splash and ride the waves, feeling their power to do with me as they will.” Gately says the ocean helps her reflect on her life and her spiritual existence. “The whole experience of getting into the water, riding the waves, and returning to the calm of my beach chair is one I treasure. I don’t think I could live very far from a beach. The water is warm, the waves huge, and their power is awesome. Whether I am watching the waves or being tossed around by them, I feel the perfect power of God,” she says. MEDITATE & FIND STILLNESS Suzanne Carrier combines various healing and relaxation therapies in her practice, Portal to Quantum Healing, in Concord, New Hampshire. She uses Polarity Therapy, sound healing with crystal bowls and tuning forks, and the Yuen Method of Wellness to help bring balance and harmony to her clients. continued on page 22 www.aspiremag.net 15 http://www.aspiremag.net

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Aspire Demo

Aspire Demo Dear Louise Contents Iron Butterflies Letter from the Heart Finding Love – Part Three: Open Your Heart to Receive Carla Blazek, The Inspirational Woman Behind Zena Moon Candles aspriring Woman Connections: The Feminine Perspective Keeping Your Spirit Alive The Unfolding of “I Am” Messages from Spirit Using Your Intuition to Live an Inspired Life

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