Thursday, January 7, 2010

Huge Changes!!!!

Ok, are you ready for a huge breakthrough?

Are you sitting down?

There's a reason I haven't written this blog for awhile and it's not only because my mother died.

I am starting a brand new life.

On October 28th I started losing weight rapidly after watching a friend's success. The diet is based on hormones and she said it gave her a "whole new life" ~ not just a trim body.

Then Mom died...and in the month that followed I was flooded by insight, and of course continued chanting my two hours a day of daimoku. Many things conspired beautifully for me to realize that now it the time for me to end my marriage and begin the next phase of my life. I couldn't write in here until we talked to the children and told the families...I just didn't want anyone to hear of this by blog!

It is so amazing. My husband is going to buy me out of the house and keep it so Ben and Aaron will not lose their home base. I am buying a condo in a highrise 5 minutes from here. I have the signed contract...and the pieces are coming into play for it to happen, It's so beautiful...and I can picture my new life there.

I just decided I could not wait another 18 months until Ben graduates. My life does not need to be on hold anymore. I am, of course, chanting so much for my husband and my children. My determination is for this process to be an inspiration to people...just like my Mom's life celebration...unlike anything people have ever seen before...and for each one of our lives to be strengthened and enriched by going through this.

So far, so good. The kids are great. I have amazing children. My husband and I have worked well as parents. We are still going to be parents, but don't need to live together. I hope we will always be friends. He and I both deserve to be with people who delight us and adore us!

I started the year with such a bang and the momentum continues!
I was appointed District Leader of the SGI Downers Grove District on New Year's Day! Since we don't have clergy, or "churches" in the SGI, that's almost equivalent to being a church leader...I am responsible for helping people learn to chant and to apply this practice to their lives to attain great benefit!!! What an honor! I am so excited!

I even had the courage (I was shaking, really!) to stand up at Rotary during Good News/Bad News and tell people about my Buddhist appointment. I added that in Buddhism we don't replace God or Christ with the Buddha and pray instead to him. We believe the Buddha Nature and indeed, the entire universe, exists within each person and can be tapped by the chanting of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. I believe that is an important distinction for my non-Buddhist friends to know!

Wish me luck and congratulations! This is a huge breakthrough in my life that I've been building up to for so many years. I know this two hour a day Daimoku campaign has given me the strength, insight, and courage to change my life for the better. And as I mentioned, it is my determination that each member of my family flourishes through this decision!!!!

I'll be writing here a lot more often...keeping you posted.