It is a brand-new year, a wonderful time to explore opportunities that never before seemed possible. Before coming to Unity, New Year’s resolutions took the form of do’s and don’ts for me—like, I should be nicer to my family and stop eating junk food! Once I started studying spiritual principles, I learned a different way to envision my future.

Like so many people, I look forward to the holiday season. I’ve celebrated many special holidays in my life when I’ve had the opportunity to gather with family and friends to express our love and gratitude for each other and the world.

"Let me turn down the radio so I can hear you better," my mother said as she disappeared off the line.

As a life coach, I know that people seek support for a number of reasons. Some are moving through illness, changing careers, or starting a new project and want to be as effective as possible. Some are seeking to find their life’s purpose. All desire a more meaningful relationship with their authentic self, with the people they love, and a deeper connection to the Divine.

My son Adrian’s U.S. Marine Corps unit deployed to Iraq early in 2003 with other first-in troops sent to topple Saddam Hussein’s regime. Although I had been a Unity leader for several years, I instantaneously united with mothers through the ages who held watch while their sons and daughters went to war. I began a prayer vigil, intensified my prayer practice, and discovered the power of prayer as never before.

Imagine your photo on the cover of a magazine. Inside, there’s a detailed four-page story about you, with pictures. What’s the headline? “Young Woman Stressed Out With Too Many Responsibilities?” “Father Misses Another Family Gathering?” What does the headline say about your life?

When I learned to meditate as a teenager, the instruction I received was “Let go. Take it as it comes.” I remember the first time I touched that silent place. It felt like coming home. I forgot my body and my thoughts. I felt spacious, peaceful, whole—as if I were part of the vast tapestry connecting all life.

As human beings continue to evolve, so do our conceptions of God. With every step I take toward deeper wisdom and greater compassion, my understanding of God expands. God, Divine Mind, Love, Substance, Spirit— these and other words are names we use to try to define or describe God. Yet it is when we let go of the limitations of our language that we step fully into the activity of God.

If I had to define conscious parenting, it would be, acknowledging that our children are as inherently divine as we are. We listen, love and grow together. Conscious parenting calls for patience, understanding and awareness. It reminds us that we are all body, mind and spirit, and each of these aspects needs to be taken care of.

At 20 years old, my daughter was killed by a drunk driver. I was shattered. My marriage had ended tragically several years earlier, and a few days before her death, I was betrayed by the man who had convinced me he intended to be my second husband. I felt slammed, as though I had been knocked down again and again, getting up only to be knocked down a third time. I couldn’t think or feel anything.