Do You Need to Change?

Considering that 93-97% of us are raised in dysfunctional families, most of us have unbeneficial programming. The Tranquil Hearts Program is about learning skills to change this thinking and gain inner peace.

The American Medical Association says that stress causes about 70% of all illness. Psychology supports this depressing statistic with its own conclusion that 70% of people's thoughts are negative.

What would your life be like if 70% of your thinking was beneficial? Happier? Healthier? Clearer? Easier?

Go against the norm! Change your dysfunctional thinking and gain inner peace.

All the Answers

This poem is printed with permission from Dee Ann Barton, Tranquil Hearts Program Graduate.

All the Answers

I've been there before, I know that I have.
Within myself and back out again.

Looking for answers within my soul.
Answers to questions that only I know.

I know that the answers are all right there.
Just accepting the reality is hard to bare:
Life, it just isn't fair.

Especially when we feel others just sit and stare.

It hurts sometimes, and I might cry.
But now I’ve got the answers as to why.

No matter if I like them or not,
I try, and deal with what I got.

Tomorrow is another day I have to stand and say.
With all my pride and all my might.

I must live to fight for the good life.
After all, the answers are always there.

Just waiting patiently within ourselves.

But if we cannot find them there.
Then always look within the face of a friend.

For as we may or may not be aware.
Sometimes the answers might just be hidden there.

So at the end we can and all must win.
Over all of our personal demons within.

So what does all this mean?

At the end of our days, we should, could, and will be ready to face another day.
Most definitely in each and everyone of our own way!

Good from Bad

Whenever a storm hits, I always search for the rainbow because life is a mix of both good and bad. I gained many wonderful benefits from my Father's illness, like an opportunity to study the medical system, a greater appreciation for the body's ability to heal, interesting information on how the brain works, etc.

I gained this new insight on brain functioning from this wonderful book recommend by a Respiratory Therapist named Larry at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Out of all I read, this book,"My Stroke of Insight," by Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D., provided the best information on what my Father was experiencing from his stroke.

This book explains clearly from both a medical and personal experience what a stroke involves. When Ms. Taylor had her stroke at 37, she worked at Harvard Medical School as a Brain Scientist performing research and teaching.

The great information Ms. Taylor provides in her book comes from both her medical and personal knowledge on how the body reacts and recovers from a stroke. It is interesting on how this data sometimes conflicts with the medical system.

In her book, I especially found it interesting on how the two hemispheres of the brain function. I know that the methods I follow stops the unbeneficial programming and when this happens, it opens up inner peace, but what I did not know was that the critical, unhelpful beliefs came from the left side and the peaceful, spiritual ones from the right hemisphere.

The human body is both amazing and mysterious. Any opportunity to discover and learn more is always a blessing.



To learn more about Dr. Jill, her work and experiences, you can visit her site at www.mystrokeofinsight.com

Life Can Change Fast

No matter what the age in my family, we don't talk about illness much because we are all so active and healthy. However, this changed on Aug. 6 for my 82-year-old Father. After he took his usual walk around the lake, ate breakfast and sat down to discuss plans for the day, he had a massive stroke and was in the ICU at Barnes before lunch.

My Father, Keith Wright, loves his life. He has a beautiful partnership with his soul mate and wife, Dorothy, flies his own plane, active in the VFW and community, has many interests and lots of family and friends that love him. It was very heart-warming at his 80th Birthday Party when many of his friends told me how Dad had helped them.

Not wanting to miss my Father's last days on Earth, I placed my life on hold and entered his world in the hospital. What a difficult place. I have met so many strong, caring people working together to provide the best for their patients!

This trip with Dad has been quite a roller coaster ride between life and death with other life threatening issues besides the stroke developing and then disappearing. During this up and down experience, Dad strongly stated he wanted to die, but instead he has slowly been getting better. When I asked why, he said that God told him, "No."

With the eminent danger gone, I am returning to my business while still participating in his rehabilitation. It is very interesting on how rehab therapists use electrical stimulation of the muscles to start them working again. Dad says that it's painful but there's no denying the great results and hopefully this will get him back on his feet quickly.