Wow! Thank you, Devorah Spilman, I really appreciate your encouragement of my teaching, yesterday. I confess I hit the ‘goo’ this morning, allowing myself to listen to some of the old stories of unworthiness, and feeling like what I have to say doesn’t matter. I’m thankful for your teaching; “I’m in the goo, what do I need to do?” . I love the support of the InStory group , it is really helping me to get out of my old story , and become the new story 🙂
Devorah, You know how much I have changed for the better since InStory participation. Things I feared are no longer the giant. The size of the elephant turned into an ant! So many projects long postponed because my focus on helping others first has changed into making myself all I can be. The talents God given cannot be ignored – just put into a prioritized list. AND there will be things that appear all of a sudden which need attention. My lecture on the Ghosts of Belcourt Castle is fast approaching so the PowerPoint is coming along not as fast as I would hope, but a little progress every day.
Your InStory allows me to see the wonders of Zoom and even Facebook, which loomed once as an obstacle – now an opportunity. THANK YOU and all the ladies you have brought together to share experiences openly without pride or shyness!
Thank you for the blessing from the trees. I wish I could tell you all the things that are opening for me since I joined InStory and I’m understanding that my life’s purpose is not over. “Retirement” is just a change to be free to discover God’s talents given to me. My presentation for the Edward King Center is not perfect, but it is the second iteration of my lecture on The Ghosts of Belcourt Castle” – and thanks to your teaching me the ways of Zoom and the 21st century communication method, it will be ready for a few of my friendly members of the Senior Center.
What a weekend!
Full of awe!
I just wanted to make this my last post. It is what I read in my last meeting. I am grateful for each one of you, and how you taught me something about myself! I shall always be grateful for having walked this path with you. Before I joined InStory there was a moment where I felt lost. I could not imagine a way to feel connected to the world around me. I felt like an orphan without a place to truly call home both in my physical world and my inner spiritual world. I found InStory through my coach Dawn Manfousco who had coached me on writing my book and was being interviewed by Devohah in the InStory Show Series.
InStory was valuable in my life because it helped that orphan child in me find a community of like minded souls. In connection with so many of you, and having experienced the power of spiritual imagination each week it began to transform me as I saw the transformation that it was occurring in you. I listened to your stories and saw the gifts that arose from each one of you as you shared from your hearts and souls. As I began to trust myself and my gifts, and shared them with you, I felt accepted without conditions, and this has helped me come home to myself and to who I truly am.
I am a human being that needs soul connections, and through InStory I have found the deep friendships that I have been seeking. I have made friends that I can call from time to time and share deep thoughts and feelings, and even though my time with InStory is at an end these friendships will be with me throughout the rest of my life time.
I took a leap of faith and joined InStory, because I felt like my soul was starving for the deep connections it needed with other women. When I started, I was timid and frightened of sharing the wisdom, knowledge, and beauty that I have been graciously shown throughout my life. As I entered this new adventure without holding anything back, I have gained confidence in sharing and uplifting those who cross my path. I am making deep soulful life long friendships, and it has opened the door for me to do my life’s work of helping others re-connect to their creative-self. Thank you Devorah for following your soul’s calling!
I also wanted to say to you, that I’m so grateful for being part of this group. It has opened so many doors to friendships that I thought I’d never have. It’s also helping me to be braver and more open in sharing who I truly am. The women in this group are helping me to be all that I can be in this lifetime! This would have not happened if I had not joined the group. ❤️🤗
Devorah, when I watched this video, my eyes teared up in gratitude for your love and the love of all the women in this group. I’m finding the more I allow myself to feel love, the more love I feel and the more love I’m able to give to others. This is something I’ve known intellectually for most of my life, but now I actually FEEL it to be true. Intellectual love is not even close to heart love.-Every time I think, I can’t feel more love than this, more love comes in. I think about the Grinch and how his heart grew two sizes bigger. That’s what my heart is doing over and over. As I let go of more and more of the hurt and pain, that space is filled with love.
So thank you, Devorah, and all of you InStory women for sending me so much love that the old hurts and pain have no place to return.
One of the things I’m grateful for since I started InStory is how my imagination has been freed. My ability to trust Devorah’s guided process and the women in this group has played a big part in freeing my imagination.
Now, though, after 30+ years of healing, I am finally in a place where I can feel safe. And in Devorah’s realm of spiritual imagination, I know no bad things or people can enter. I see only good in this realm. Only good things can happen here. And finally, my imagination is free to go anywhere it wants to go.
For someone whose life has been and is still filled with fears, real and imaginary, it’s an amazing experience to have a place that’s completely safe. It’s like having my childhood innocence back again.
This InStory group is different from any other group I’ve ever belonged to because of everyone’s willingness to share so much of themselves with each other. The InStory Expert interviews is a good example of this willingness to share. My favorite part of our interviews is getting to know all of you better, seeing the choices and decisions that we each have made along the way to get to where we are now.
I have always enjoyed reading biographies to see how people have accomplished their greatness, learning about their successes and their failures. Watching these InStory Expert interviews is like watching biographies of great women in progress. I can’t wait to watch the rest of our interviews.
Instory has been a community of amazing supportive women and being heard..I have made the most wonderful friends. If I was in a place that I needed to vent or get a different perspective there is at least 6 or 7 people I could call upon and know I would be able to get through whatever the situation may be. I have learned how to laugh and cry in public and not be afraid that I would be judged. I have learned that I have confidence in who I am. I have had the best year of my life, come so far with the support of instory. I am so excited what this next year will bring because of the appreciation I have had for this past year. ACTION is my word and I am going to embody it. Asking what if this next year is the most amazing year one day at a time and enjoying each and every day.
Devorah’s technique and ability to bring me into an effective, spiritual imagination is amazing.
She has a natural talent to see my whole process and connect the stories. Her acceptance and
love shown to me and my fellow group members is admirable
My life’s career has been in healing arts. I sought her out because I was stuck. I wanted to
branch out to write, especially my memoirs. She is now my guiding light. My direction and purpose are clear, my writing is flowing and I am moving forward with enthusiasm.
I look on my time in InStory as such a learning experience. Like Kelly I feel like the people I have met are so diverse, interesting and kind…women that it is a privilege to be in a group with. I feel empowered to step forward in life in large part thanks to you Devorah and InStory. My word for the year is courageous.
I just realized that I have been in InStory about 18 months. I caught myself looking back over my shoulder to see the impact that being part of this amazing group has made in my life. Ok, wow! When I first heard Devorah speak about her process I was so excited. For me, it was the idea of using metaphors that grabbed my attention. I NEVER felt very verbal and I was self-conscious speaking up. Suddenly, Devorah helped me realize that I think in pictures and metaphors. Finally, I am learning a way to communicate my feelings. Along with accomplishing my original objective, I have gained much more over time. There is a great InStory group of people that I have to share these teachings with. Also, I am learning to effectively venture into the larger world with confidence. This new confidence is opening even more doors and expanding my life. InStory has been such a gift.
The time I spent with the InStory group was very beneficial to my personal and professional growth. I am an artist and had just finished stressful months of breast cancer treatment and was left with a huge loss in my creative ability that I could not recover on my own. I was searching for someone/something that would help me regain the ability to see creatively and paint again like I had before the cancer and treatment had taken it away.
InStory was a safe place that encouraged me to grow at my own pace. The women were all on different journeys and were carrying vast amounts of compassion and wisdom at the same time that they were also looking for guidance. The weekly calls were looked forward to as I enjoyed listening to the experiences of my new friends. By allowing my mind to open up to new ideas and new realms of thinking, my creativity began to sprout and I became whole again. And my painting is back!
I am ever grateful for the time I spent with InStory. I am a deeper and richer woman inside. My thoughts are more open and loving and accepting. The bonds I made were close with women from all parts of the world. I know, if I travel to anywhere one of them lives, I will be welcomed because of InStory.