| Singing Wolf Center | Shagbark Hickory Spirit CD | Pederson Victorian B&B |

A dear friend of mine, Kristi Cowles, called the other day to tell me about her new music CD, Shagbark Hickory Spirit. I was slightly surprised because I remember when she sold off all her sound equipment years before, including a microphone that had been with her for years. You see, before I met Kristi she was a lounge singer. I knew she must have been good, because she had supported her family doing it; she sang in lounges in Wisconsin.

I met Kristi when she moved out to San Francisco to get her master's degree from the California Institute of Integral Studies. She was working part-time for New Dimensions. She always lit up the room when she entered, with her easy laugh and her big, compassionate heart. She worked with us a brief three years, but it seemed much longer because we developed a deep friendship. After completing her degree, Kristi longed to move back to her roots in Wisconsin. She opened a bed and breakfast inn near Lake Geneva, and started a spiritual center there called The Singing Wolf Center. Michael and I have had the pleasure of teaching there on occasion.

Kristi has been on a spiritual journey for as long as I've known her, and I am constantly amazed at her ability to hear and follow her inner voice. When she called and told me about the CD, I asked her, "How much did it cost?" I know something about making a CD, and I know it ain't cheap. She then said what I feel are profound words to live by: "When I get old, I'm not going to be sorry for what I did, but I know I will be sorry for what I didn't do, if it's something my heart longs for me to do." As soon as she said this, I realized how true it is. I knew how important it is for us to check in with our inner voice, and give wings to its calling.

I am especially warmed by Kristi's story because I can see that making this CD brings together so many of her talents and interests. She's a wonderful singer, and continues to have connections with other talented musicians. Through her spiritual questing she has written songs that are about the things that matter to her, the great mysteries of life. It represents a cohesive tapestry of her life, the weaving together of many threads. I marvel at the beauty of it. It reminds me to look into my own life for those threads that already exist, threads that want to be tied together to make something new.

How about you? What is your heart longing for you to do? It's never too early or too late to begin. The time is exactly perfect to do the one little thing to get you started on that dream that only you can bring into the world.

Justine Willis Toms
New Dimensions Radio

| Singing Wolf Center | Shagbark Hickory Spirit CD | Pederson Victorian B&B |