Author Archives: vlm

Licensed Professional Counselor (L.P.C.), Mentor and Life Coach

Ext. 115 or 856.404.8682

It humbles me to think that I have had the honor of doing this work for over 25 years.  It has been a privilege and a blessing to participate in the healing process of so many lives.

Over these many years I have come to believe that the way to inner peace, balance, wholeness, and healing is to embrace thought patterns and a belief system that leads to an empowered lifestyle.

I have been a student for most of my life; and, God willing, for the rest of my life.  There are so many wondrous things to learn in a lifetime.  Some of my education includes the following:  B. S. from Saint Joseph’s University; M.Ed. from Arcadia University; M.A. from Rowan University; and M.S. from Villanova University.

I also have many certifications and licensures.  The following are some of them:  LPC – Licensed Professional Counselor; Nationally Certified Mentor and Life Coach; Certified in NLP – Neuro-Linguistic Programming (another form of Cognitive Therapy); Certified Yoga Teacher; and Reiki Master.

When you come to my office, I provide a safe and comfortable environment that offers acceptance and support.  I work with Individuals (adults and teens); Couples (married and partnered); and Groups.  My job is to consider the whole person with the intention of enhancing and restoring inner balance and wellbeing by using a combination of the following cognitive therapies:  Rational-Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP).

The focus of each session is to empower you so that you are not victim to whatever past, present, (or future) negative circumstance(s) experienced.  So that your life and thought patterns are enhanced to the degree that you achieve your goals and will be able to create the habit of pro-active-living.

The issues I help resolve are: Codependency; ACOA; Depression; Relationships (self-esteem, marriage, partner, personal, professional, etc.); Loss/Grief (of a loved one, pet, divorce, separation, career/job, health, etc.); Stress/Anxiety Management(making relaxation an unconscious habit); Communication Skills Enhanced (speaking – saying what you mean; listening – hearing the true message; and body language)

My groups and workshops include: Becoming a Butterfly: A Journey to Self-Worth; Meditation: Learn the Art of Inner Peace; Guided Relaxation: Transport to Serenity; etc.,

By Anna Marie Hrivnak, M.Ed.

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During the holiday season we find ourselves trying to find the perfect gift.  Research proves giving the gift of ‘our time’ to another, however, can in fact be mutually beneficial.  The idea of ‘giving our time’ might seem impossible.  Feelings of time-constraint or “time famine” in our daily lives is quite prevalent. However, a recent paper published in Psychological Sciencereported that taking the time to help others can increase feelings of “time affluence” and can actually alleviate our perceived “time famine.” Taking the time to do something for someone else seems to expand the future for the person giving of their time.

Likewise, a study in the journal BMC Public Health documented that there were impressive beneficial effects of volunteering on a person’s physical, mental and overall health. In a study conducted at the University of Buffalo, it was found that people who give of their time to others were able to “buffer” many of the negative effects of everyday stress.  The study also looked into the existing research in regards to social isolation and stress with morbidity and concluded that these effects are, in fact, counteracted when we give time in helping others.

In a study published in the International Journal of Psychophysiology researchers looked into the effects that giving of our time had on our physiology and on our longevity.  The study’s findings showed that those who gave of their time had lower blood pressure and arterial pressure.  It also found that individuals who gave of their time reported a greater sense of self-esteem and self-efficacy.  These individuals were also less likely to be depressed.  These were all positive signs for a healthy heart and cardiovascular health.

Giving of our time to others does indeed benefit the giver and receiver.  The ‘giver of time’ will experience reduced stress, help combat depression, lower their blood pressure and have an overall longer life expectancy.  So, this holiday season consider giving one of the most precious of gifts–your time.

Excerpts from Divining the Body: Reclaim the Holiness of Your Physical Self by Jan Phillips, “Let’s Hear It For The Ears”

By Marie B Olwell, M.Ed., D. Min.

“The body is held together by sound–the presence of disease indicates that some sounds have gone out of tune.” – Deepak Chopra

“Song is the intelligence of the universe.”  – Yaqui Indian saying.

From the book:

• “Painful emotions that get locked in our body as a result of trauma can be released in many cases by certain sounds that bring them back to their original resonance.”
• “The NASA recordings of the sounds of the planets, which you can hear on line, demonstrate the awesomely beautiful ‘songs’ of our solar system.”
• “It has been proven that cows serenaded with Mozart give more milk, that plants grow best in the early morning when birds are singing, that playing Baroque music to Asian immigrants enhances their ability to learn English.”
• “When we ask someone to be our sounding board, we are asking to be heard, knowing that in that process we will come to a greater clarity about what we believe. When we feel heard, we feel healed. “
• “Listening is a sacramental act. It is an outward sign of love that brings grace and light to the moment of sharing. Alfred Tomatis was a French physician who discovered that Gregorian chants have therapeutic potential and the capacity to charge the central nervous system and the cortex of the brain.”
• “When we’re out of balance, what happens inside and around us is dissonance and discord. The beautiful melody we are meant to be becomes the scrape of fingernails on a chalkboard. Our bodies know what they need, and if we need to calm down, we don’t go for hip hop.”

Marie B. Olwell, M.Ed., D. Min.

609.680.1462

MarieOlwell@hotmail.com

Theresa Johnson, L.C.S.W., L.C.A.D.C.

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I am Theresa Johnson and have been a social worker since 1992. It was difficult raising two children while earning my social work degree, but I did it!  I began my career counseling caregivers of the elderly and disabled as well as the elderly themselves.  My ultimate goal was to practice psychotherapy, however, so I changed directions and worked at a partial care facility that served the severely and persistently mentally ill.  While there I attained my license in drug and alcohol counseling.  After six years in that setting I knew it was time to begin my dream of becoming a psychotherapist.  My first position in that area was at a counseling center in 2007.

I thought that was my final move until I came to The Starting Point and opened up a private practice here.  I’ve been here for over four years now. Working at The Starting Point is a wonderful way to have a private practice. I have autonomy yet am also surrounded by caring and knowledgeable colleagues.  And, of course, I also appreciate the courteous and supportive receptionists!

I believe to be successful it is important that the therapist also to have spent time in therapy themselves. I have seen both male and female therapists and have been in couples counseling at different times in my life. I am proud to say that I have attended many of Vince’s lectures and in the past have also participated in his women’s group.

I work with individuals, couples and families.  Through my education and personal experiences I have developed skills to work with clients suffering from trauma, low self-esteem, family crises, anxiety and mood disorders, and addiction.  I am a client-centered therapist whose goal is to facilitate people to meet their highest level of expectancy. Sometimes people choose to discuss spiritual aspects of their lives, which I wholeheartedly support.

I am in-network for most health insurance plans, including Medicare, but also accept private payment.

By Anna Marie Hrivnak, M.Ed.

Did you know that listening to Gregorian chants or the music of Mozart can significantly improve your mental, emotional and physical health? Studies have suggested that listening to this music can and does improve your physical and mental health because of the Hertz range (of around 8,000). Gregorian chants and Mozart’s music creates a harmonic vibration that has been proven in studies to eliminate fatigue, heal and cure disease and illness, and can help extinguish depression. With a little search you can find many articles that explain the effects of listening to this type of music. Below is the link to one such article:

http://www.meditationwayoflife.com/heal-your-mind-and-body-with-the-power-of-gregorian-chants-and-primordial-sounds

If you wish to take the 30 Day Challenge simply click on the article above and listen to the music provided or go to YouTube and select your favorite versions of Mozart or Gregorian chant. After (or during) the 30 days let us know if you have noticed a significant shift in your mood or daily interactions either internally or with others. Feel free to text your impressions and insights to 609-472-1730.

Anna Marie Hrivnak, M.Ed.

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“Listening to one’s self as well as to others is a sacred act of healing. There is a higher octave of listening that hears the wisdom within the words.”  ― Cheryl Hamada

I have had the privilege of working at Starting Point since September 2005. I’ve selected two quotes to begin and end my writing here as I believe strongly in the power of the written word and our ability to internalize the wisdom offered by others who have traveled the path toward healing. I contribute quotes and inspirational saying every week to the Quote Box, along with books to our sharing library shelves in The Starting Point’s waiting room which are extensions of my belief in the power of healing.

With a Master’s Degree in Education, I’ve taught school in Pennsylvania, Texas and New Jersey.  My positions as teacher, school counselor, developer/facilitator of a Gifted and Talented program, school disciplinarian and Vice Principal, provided me the opportunity to work closely with families over a 37 year period. Prior to teaching I worked at Byberry State Hospital which allowed me to interact with patients on a one-to-one basis. Reading to the patients was one form of therapy I initiated. It showed me, once again, the power of the written word and its ability to initiate personal introspection and reflection, which can become cornerstones to inner healing.

During my twelve years at Starting Point I have given workshops on The Gift of Change, journaling and creative writing themes, labyrinth walks, dream work, and self-empowerment. I co-facilitate a weekly series with Cort Hrivnak on twenty-four areas of strength and development based on the Positive Psychology model from the University of Pennsylvania. This free weekly program (on Thursdays at 7pm) reflects my strong belief in the power of our internal wisdom.

In my practice I encourage clients to build on their inner wisdom while journeying through the transformational phases of their lives. It is in learning to find that quiet place within, a place where we can recharge and replenish our souls, that will lead us to have the courage to listen for and to that still small voice emerging from deep within, for this is our true guidance. This is our true essence, our wisdom.

“When wisdom arises, our inherent power as a being naturally arises as well, and then we begin to view things differently. We begin to see things based on the truth that we have found inside, not the truth that is imposed by others on us.”  ― M. Laurie Cantil, A Magician’s Visit

Anna Marie Hrivnak

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By Allie F. Miller, M.A., L.M.F.T.

One of the thornier problems in recovery from a traumatic event is that the person who has experienced the trauma often personalizes what has happened to him/her. In other words, they often believe that they are to blame for it or are somehow culpable. This is usually not the case, and is almost always false when dealing with people who experienced trauma as children. In fact, the erroneous belief that one is to blame for the trauma is usually one of the symptoms of the trauma that must be addressed in treatment, and can also in many cases be very stubborn to eliminate.

In working with survivors of childhood sexual abuse, I often hear clients say something like, “Why didn’t I stop it?” or “Why didn’t I know better?” These statements are usually uttered from the perspective of their adult-self, who could stop it and who would know better, but as a child they were almost always powerless to prevent it. Most survivors forget that when the abuse occurred there was most often a very large age gap and power differential between them and their perpetrators. They also usually forget that their perps may have spent significant time and effort “grooming” them prior to the abuse, often giving them gifts or heaping praise and attention on them. Most children are very eager to please and become very trusting of an adult who has seemingly bonded with and become emotionally invested in them.

One of the ways that often helps to begin to break up this erroneous belief of being at fault for the abuse is to ask the client if they know of or are around any children who are currently the age that s/he was when the abuse occurred. Perhaps they can identify a nephew or niece or maybe even one of their own children or grandchildren. If so, I ask the client to reflect on and assess that child’s ability (i.e., the niece’s or nephew’s ability, say) to ward off the advances of an adult. I also ask them if they would hold that child responsible should they learn that a similar abuse (God forbid!) had happened to that niece or nephew. After some time and thought, clients often begin to soften towards themselves and begin to de-personalize the trauma.

Allie F. Miller, M.A., L.M.F.T.

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By Marie B Olwell, M.Ed., D. Min.

The sound of music has the ability to repair aspects of ourselves that are out of alignment as well as to restore us to spiritual wholeness. Sound has the ability to positively affect our whole being and helps us get to the source of inner peace we all desire.

The reason that we need music is that the stresses of modern society distort the vibrations of the cells in our body. To assist these distorted vibrations in returning to normal, we can choose music (vibrations) with the right rhythm, tempo, tone and melody to cancel out distortion. When a portion of the body is vibrating out of harmony, we call this condition “disease.” Our body, mind and spirit always want to be moving in a direction toward balance, yet we often have too much outer stimulus and noise and not enough time to dedicate to ourselves a better state of harmony.

Music, then, can be an important part of our program of primary prevention—the prevention of illness at a pre-physical, energy-imbalance level.

Marie B. Olwell, M.Ed., D. Min.

609.680.1462

MarieOlwell@hotmail.com

This brief introduction will tell you a little about myself and our Laser Therapy business to assist those who wish to become ex-smokers.

I grew up in South Philadelphia with parents who loved to entertain and constantly had family and friends over, serving lots of food and drink, but there was also a great deal of cigarette smoking. In fact, it seemed like the entire neighborhood was filled with smokers. Back then it was normal for everyone to smoke in the house. My father was a World War II veteran and back then the government even gave the GI’s cigarettes before they went into battle.  Needless to say, there was lots of smoking going on in and around my house. Everyone it seemed was smoking, except for me.  I had many problems as a child with my breathing, asthma and bronchitis. I remember going to the doctors as a teenager, and he would tell me to quit smoking. He said my lungs where like those of someone who smoked two packs a day. The funny thing: I never smoked a day in my life!  Second-hand smoke was very prevalent back then, and most of us did not even know they were being affected by it.

A number of years ago my brother–in-law who is a doctor told my husband and me about a laser procedure to quit smoking. We went to train with a pioneer in the field and then opened up a facility of our own in Cherry Hill.  After much press and some national exposure we became one of the longest running facilities in the country that helps people quit smoking.  Today our office has downsized and as a result, the success rate has dramatically increased due to the devotion of helping one client at a time each and every time no matter what it takes.  Our success comes from word of mouth only, and as everyone knows, word of mouth is the best form of advertising.

We’ve helped thousands of people quit smoking since 2004. It works! No pain, no side effects. The day you come in is the day you stop smoking. We apply a completely painless cold laser to 27 pressure points, resulting in a feeling like you just had a cigarette. You feel alert and relaxed with no side effects. That procedure, coupled with some tips, tricks and counseling will keep you smoke-free for life.  What more could a smoker want when s/he wants to quit?

We would love to answer any questions regarding the laser and how it works. Feel free to give us a call for more info or look us up at www.IQuitEZ.com. We look forward to hearing from you and helping you become smoke-free!

Jackie Caré 

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By Cort Hrivnak

One of the realizations I have come to understand is how important it is for each of us to be aware of how our life experience is influenced by where and what we choose to put our focus on. I think this idea is best illustrated in the following story that I came across:

An old Grandfather said to his grandson, who came to him with anger at a friend who had done him an injustice, “Let me tell you a story. 

“I too, at times, have felt a great hate for those that have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do.  

“But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy.  It is like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times.” He continued, “It is as if there are two wolves inside me. One is good and does no harm.  He lives in harmony with all around him, and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way.

“But the other wolf, ah!  He is full of anger. The littlest thing will set him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason.  He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing.

“Sometimes, it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit”

The boy looked intently into his Grandfather’s eyes and asked, “Which one wins, Grandfather?”

The Grandfather smiled and quietly said, “The one I feed.”

This story may have possibly originated as a legend of the Cherokee Indian. Regardless of its source, however, I think it provides a striking illustration for the point that what we choose to focus on (which wolf we choose to feed) is the one that controls our lives at any given moment.  It is cliché, but very true, to say that we can’t control the actions of others but many times that is precisely where we put our focus and attention.  When people around us behave poorly or situations get beyond our control, we feel powerless and defeated.  These emotions and the resulting anger at self or others then serve as food for our negative wolves making them stronger while starving the positive wolves in us of the nourishment (in terms of focus and positive emotions) that they need.   You may have the same two wolves as in the story of peace and anger, or different ones entirely.  The important realization is that through the choice we exercise through what we focus on, we determine which internal wolf is stronger and more dominant in our day to day lives.

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by Vince Dipasquale

My father, who I consider to be one of my greatest spiritual teachers, was always trying to teach me the gifts of patience and tolerance. When I was sitting on an airplane in Philadelphia waiting to take off, we had to wait almost an hour until we were cleared for take-off. As I said my prayers, I felt feelings of anxiety, anger, frustration and judgment. The addictive personality in me was getting very impatient. After taking some deep breaths and being in touch with my feelings, through prayer and having a good talk with my spirit guide our Blessed Lady, I was able to connect to the 1st step and the 11th step of our program. Every day we experience powerlessness and if we truly say our 11th step prayer God will always try to teach us lessons that we need to learn. This day, my Higher Power was trying to teach me the gifts of patience and tolerance. The very lessons my Dad tried to teach me as a child. He would say ,”relax, Rome wasn’t built in a day”; “Slow down, smell the roses.”; “ Enjoy life”.

Let’s take some time to look at these two special words, “Patience and Tolerance.”

We live in a world that is always on the move. As technology continues it’s fast pace of growth, being busy and active has become a way of life. At times we don’t stand still long enough to enjoy the moment. Having lived on this earth now for 74 years, my vision of life is changing. Yet I know there are so many lessons yet to be learned. We have to all learn one of the toughest teachings of our 12 step program. Remember God is in charge, and all will come to us in God’s time, not ours. Patience is such a gift, especially learning how to take life slowly and one lesson at a time is to be learned. Impatience creates anxiety, stress and confusion. One of the greatest gifts of recovery is to remember that life is a process not an event.

Let’s all learn to slow down, enjoy the moment and remember that patience is a virtue and a tough lesson to learn. I know from experience how hard it is. Thanks to God, my dad and all those situations that try to teach me the gift of patience.

Tolerance requires us to move to a new level of spirituality that involves openness acceptance and adjustment. There are so many situations and people that cross our path that force us to realize that diversity is the gift of life. The enemies of tolerance are judgment, pigeon-holing and failure to see every person, place and thing that we experience in life as a teachable moment. Yet because of our humanism, we fall into judgment, criticism and fear. We usually have to experience the negative before we discover the lessons we need to learn. Isn’t it great that we are all different and human? Struggle is the core of all growth. I am certain that when someone comes into your life that is different, it tests your tolerance. They are some of God’s greatest teachers. We must also learn to be tolerant with ourselves. One of the greatest enemies of tolerance is fear – “my way is the only way”. At times we are afraid to listen to our gut and to the lessons we can learn. We all have our instructions; let’s learn to be tolerant of ourselves by learning to be good to ourselves, so that we can allow others to be our teachers. My prayer each day is to try to be open to the journey. Let’s try not to judge and let’s look at life with positive eyes. Tolerance is the gift that will help us to see how God tries to teach us the spirit of humility. Always remember that there is only one person in charge, our Higher Power. The rest of us are all servants.

Patience and tolerance are the special ways that God is trying to teach us to relax and celebrate the little things of life. These two gifts will teach us that everything happens in Gods time, not ours. Let’s all pray and be open to the wonderful way God is always is always trying to help us on life’s journey.

May God bless all of us, each and every day of life!

I would like to dedicate this month as a time to reflect on the special word, spiritual. I would like to share with you how spiritual has developed over my life’s journey.

As a child, the word spiritual always meant church and religion. The God of my understanding was a negative God filled with fear and guilt. In some way a sad God entering on struggle and pain. The fear of God was put into me by the church and school of my generation.  When I entered the seminary at age 14 I still did not understand spirituality. I was taught rules and forms of punishment if the rules were not followed. I was taught to be all things to all people. It was considered heresy to make time for yourself. We were taught to give and not to receive. My spiritual journey took me on a real crazy ride.

In 1966 when I was ordained a priest I had no idea who I was. I spent many years running myself into the ground doing for others. I was on a journey to save the world. For many years I completely forgot “me”. It took a lot of pain and almost ruined my health on this journey. Little did I know that God was leading me with the help of many teachers and messengers, to come to my awakening.  In1978 I was visiting a rehab center in Northeast Philadelphia for drugs and alcohol. One of the staff members invited me for lunch. While we ate he asked me to stay and give a lecture to his patients. He told me to speak on spirituality. Don’t ask me why, but I said I would and gave a talk for one hour. At the end he told me that it was really god and asked me to come back and give that talk once a month. I told him I didn’t remember what I said. He had taped it and gave it to me and I listened to it on my way home. I got a lot out of it. I know today it wasn’t me giving the talk it was my God reaching out to me. I truly believe today that God speaks to us through his people. This is a summary of that experience where I learned the true meaning of spirituality. It means to awaken to a discovery of our spirit. Each one of us was created by God for a purpose. I know that to be a spiritual person is just to enjoy being you. Below are the four spiritual questions.

Do you love yourself? I know that unless I really love myself I can’t give love to others. I pray every day that I can learn and accept who I am. We are not mistakes. Every human being is connected to our Creator. The greatest adventure is to invest in living and being positive to yourself. An old song says, “Getting to know me is getting to love me”. Let’s all take time to celebrate who you are.

Do you like yourself? Today I can say that my name is Vince DiPasquale and I am the only one there is of me on this earth. The only one who has to like me is me. We must all learn to be comfortable in our own skin. Celebrate yourself today and every day.

Do you respect yourself? This is a special question that tells us to take responsibility for our lives. I am responsible for my journey which means to no longer play the blame game or the victim game. Each one of us is the architect of our life. To be responsible is to be free.

Do you care about yourself? Each one of us is God’s creation. We need to ask ourselves some questions. Do we treat our bodies as something scared to be honored? Do we take time to respect it with exercise, good food and adequate rest? Do we have gratitude for the body God gave us? Here are some beautiful principals that if we live by, will give the secret to spiritual growth:

Live life for today. Yesterday is over, it’s part of our history. Your present experiences are our lessons for today. To live and celebrate life one day at a time is to keep life simple.

Stay in the presence of positive persons, places, situations. We will catch their positive attitudes. We will learn from their health examples and experiences. Ask God to help us release anything negative.

Stay connected to your Higher Power (the God of you understanding). Let’s all join the 4-H Club, the Higher Power Club, with honestly, humility, humor and healing. To be honest is to be free and is one of the strongest links to the God of our understanding. Humility is the gift to be open and teachable. It’s to have an open mind to all things along life’s journey and to be connected to God, our greatest teacher. Humor is the power to be able to laugh at life even when it’s not funny. Laughter is the greatest form of therapy on the face of the earth. Look in the mirror when you first get up in the morning. That’s funny! Loosen up, relax and go with the flow. Healing is learning to make settlement with all areas of life. it gives us a sense of peace and serenity. Our Higher Power wants us to learn from all of life’s experiences. In healing we develop new strengths and lessons for growth. Let’s all walk the journey of life with our Higher Power at our side.

GOD. The most beautiful definition of God is Good Orderly Direction. We all need direction and guidance of life’s journey. Let’s be open to listen and learn. Our spiritual guides are all around us. Let’s listen and learn.

Never give up. We are on life’s journey. We are never done. Life is a beautiful process of ever changing experiences. I hope and pray I will never be done. There is so much to discover.

So to be a spiritual person is to be a participant in the process of life. Let’s all continue to discover the wonderful gifts our Creator gave us. To be a spiritual person is to be open to life with a positive attitude. Enjoy life, it’s a precious gift. May God bless you.

By Vince DiPasquale

What a perfect month to just sit back, meditate and reflect on the child within all of us.  I would like to share with you two special meditations that helped me to reconnect with my child.

1.  Close your eyes, relax and try to visualize yourself as a beautiful little child getting ready for your journey to the world.  The Creator takes us in his arms and says to us, “I am going to send you on a spiritual journey into the world.  You will experience different forms of dysfunction, fear and struggle.  You will feel joy and sadness.  I will also give you freewill so you can make your own decisions but don’t worry for I will give you the spirit and energy of love which one day you can share with all around you.   I promise you that I will walk right along with you on your journey.  In time you will occasionally forget the strength and energy you have within.  You will experience the battle between your ego and your spirit.  Remember I will always walk next to you.  All you have to do is call upon me and I will be your guide and strength on the journey of life to help you rediscover the beauty and love you have within.  Remember my words, ‘A little child will lead you.  All you have to do is ask and you shall receive’.”  Our Creator only wishes the best for us.  Don’t walk life’s journey alone.  If you walk with the Creator you will be guided back to the child – your love teacher.

2.  Let’s now continue the journey back to our love child.  Visualize yourself going on a journey and entering a beautiful golden corridor.  Walk down the corridor until you come to a huge golden door.  Reach up and touch the door and it magically swings open.  As you look inside at the darkness you notice in the distance a small but beautiful golden light shining.  Walk towards the light.  As you get closer the light becomes more beautiful until you find yourself bathed in the golden light of peace and serenity.  As long as you are surrounded by this special light enjoy the positive energy of peace, serenity and calmness.  As you bathe in this special light notice coming towards you in the distance a beautiful pink light.  It becomes so strong and powerful until it surrounds you.  You are now engulfed by the golden light of peace and serenity and the pink light of love.  As you immerse yourself in this special energy you notice coming towards you in the distance a little child.  As the child gets closer you look and notice the little child is you.  The child leaps into your arms, hugs you and tells you, “I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.  I have come to give you the energy and power of love.  I am that energy for I am your child.” Hold your little child in your arms and walk back to the golden door.  As you do, notice as long as you embrace your child the golden light of peace and serenity and the pink light of love will follow you.  Bring that child with you on your life’s journey and you will be able to see the child in all that you experience.  Remember we come into this world as a simple, beautiful little child.  As we walk the journey of life, let’s pray we will all be restored to the simplicity of a child.  We are God’s children.  We walk and talk with the Creator and one day we will all come home to our Creator.  No matter what you do or where you go try to face life with a positive attitude.  The golden light of peace and serenity and the pink light of love will be with you.

During this month take time to relax, meditate and be open to all of God’s messages.  He speaks to us through all of life’s experiences.  He is our guide.

Enjoy the rest of the summer and may the child continue to share the gift of love with all of us.  God bless you.

I would like to dedicate this month as a time to reflect on the special word, spiritual.   April is a time of change, a time for transition from winter to spring.  It’s a time of new birth with gardens returning to their beauty.  We also experience the beginning of baseball season.  The weather can get confusing, delivering a little bit of everything.    What happens to us during this seasonal change?  I would like to share with you how the word spiritual has developed over my life’s journey.

As a child, the word spiritual always meant church and religion.  The God of my understanding was a negative God filled with fear and guilt.  In some ways a sad God centering on struggle and pain.  The fear of God was put into me by the church and school of my generation.  When I entered the seminary at age 14 I still did not understand spirituality.  I was taught rules and forms of punishment if the rules were not followed.  I was taught to be all things to all people.  It was considered heresy to make time for yourself.  We were taught to give not to receive.  My spiritual journey took me on a real and crazy ride.

In 1966 when I was ordained a priest I had no idea who I was.  I spent many years running myself into the ground doing for others.  I was on a journey to save the world.  For many years I completely forgot “me”.  It took a lot of pain and almost ruined my health on this journey.  Little did I know that God was leading me with the help of many teachers and messengers, to come to my awakening.  In 1978 I was visiting a rehab center in Northeast Philadelphia for drugs and alcohol.  One of the staff members invited me for lunch.  While we ate he asked me to stay and give a lecture to the patients.  He told me to speak on spirituality.  Don’t ask me why, but I said I would and gave a talk for one hour.  At the end he told me that it was really good and asked me to come back and give that talk once a month.  I told him I didn’t remember what I said.  He had taped it and gave it to me and I listened to it on my way home.  I got a lot out of it.  I know today it wasn’t me giving the talk it was my God reaching out to me.  I truly believe today that God speaks to us through his people.  This is a summary of that experience where I learned the true meaning of spirituality.  It means to awaken to a discovery of our spirit.  Each one of us was created by God for a purpose.  I know now that to be a spiritual person is just to enjoy being you.  Below are the four spiritual questions.

Do you love yourself? I know that unless I really love myself I can’t give love to others.  I pray every day that I can learn to love and accept who I am.  We are not mistakes.  Every human being is connected to our Creator.  The greatest adventure is to invest in loving and being positive to yourself.  An old song says, “Getting to know me is getting to love me.”  Let’s all take time to celebrate who we are.

Do you like yourself? Today I can say that my name is Vince DiPasquale and I am the only one there is of me on this earth.  The only one who has to like me is me.  We must all learn to be comfortable in our own skin.  Celebrate yourself today and every day.

Do you respect yourself? This is a special question that tells us to take responsibility for our lives.  I am responsible for my journey which means to no longer play the blame game or the victim game.  Each one of us is the architect of our life.  To be responsible is to be free.

Do you care about yourself? Each one of us is God’s creation.  We need to ask ourselves some questions.  Do we treat our bodies as something sacred to be honored?  Do we take time to respect it with exercise, good food and adequate rest?  Do we have gratitude for the body God gave us?  Here are some beautiful principles that if we live by, will give the secret to spiritual growth:

A.  Live life just for today. Yesterday is over, it’s part of our history.  Your present experiences are our lessons for today.  To live and celebrate life one day at a time is to keep life simple.

B.  Stay in the presence of positive persons, places and situations. We will catch their positive attitudes.   We will learn from their healthy examples and experiences.   Ask God to help us release anything negative.

C.  Stay connected to your Higher Power (the God of your understanding).  Let’s all join the 4-H Club, the Higher Power Club, with honesty, humility, humor and healing.  To be honest is to be free and is one of the strongest links to the God of our understanding.  Humility is the gift to be open and teachable.  It’s to have an open mind to all things along life’s journey and to be connected to God, our greatest teacher.   Humor is the power to be able to laugh at life even when it’s not funny.  Laughter is the greatest form of therapy on the face of the earth.  Look in the mirror when you first get up in the morning.  That’s funny!  Loosen up, relax and go with the flow.  Healing is learning to make settlement with all areas of life.  It gives us a sense of peace and serenity.  Our Higher Power wants us to learn from all of life’s experiences.  In healing we develop new strengths and lessons for growth.   Let’s all walk the journey of life with our Higher Power at our side.

D.  GOD.   The most beautiful definition of God is Good Orderly Direction.  We all need direction and guidance on life’s journey.  Let’s be open to listen and learn.  Our spiritual guides are all around us.  Let’s listen and learn.

E.  Never Give Up. We are on life’s journey.  We are never done.  Life is a beautiful process of ever changing experiences.  I hope and pray I will never be done.  There is so much to discover.

So to be a spiritual person is to be a participant in the process of life.  Let’s all continue to discover the wonderful gifts our Creator gave us.  To be a spiritual person is to be open to life with a positive attitude.  Enjoy life, it’s a precious gift.  May God bless you.