From a spiritual perspective, relationships are the messy and marvelous setting for working out our separate and shared stories, as we grow in our capacity for connection with ourselves and with others. ~The Three Sisters

People often comment to us that it must be wonderful to have such a great relationship as sisters. As we talked recently about people's perceptions of our relationship, we remembered a walk we all took together this summer with five dogs. On a beautiful sunny day we met to take a calm, relaxing walk with each other. Each of us had a dog or two in tow on leashes of various lengths. As we walked and talked on a quiet road we gave the dogs a little more leash and some freedom to run and roam. While we were all enjoying the day, it wasn't long before the dogs had circled, jumped, wandered and played around us enough that their leashes became a tangled up, knotted up mess with us caught in the middle. As we worked to free ourselves and the dogs, Meg, who processes and talks in wonderful metaphors, commented that the mess was a lot like relationships. She reflected that when you walk closely with other people who have their own internal patterns and stories going on, there will be times when we become mixed up and tangled up together, despite our very best intentions to keep things peaceful and harmonious.

In the month of February we celebrate Valentines Day and there is a lot of talk, attention and commercial revenue devoted to love and relationships.  But whether we are talking about a relationship with a spouse, a love interest, a family member, or an intimate friend, most of us know that in real life relationships aren't just a series of hallmark moments. While relationships provide us with a sense of connection, stability, love and satisfaction, they are also a source of challenge and learning if we are willing to engage consciously with those we love. From a spiritual perspective, relationships are the messy and marvelous setting for working out our separate and shared stories, as we grow in our capacity for connection with ourselves and with others. But too often we stop engaging when it gets uncomfortable or messy... >>Learn More