The 10 Most Mind-Blowing Books I've Read

Anybody who knows me, knows that I adore reading books! My mentor loves to remind us that readers are leaders, and I reckon she's right. 

After much deliberation I've whittled my list of mind-blowing books down to just ten. These books completely changed my worldview, or inspired me to transform my life and health.

If you click on the title of the book, it will take you to The Book Depository - my favorite online bookstore. They have millions of titles (including ones that are hard to find in conventional bookstores) and free shipping to most countries in the world (but not Tonga, sadly. I save up my orders for when I'm in Australia). These links are affiliate links, so if you do make a purchase, I receive a small percentage.

1. E-Squared by Pam Grout

I bought this book less than a year ago, and I've already read it five times!

It is fascinating, entertaining and profound, all at once, and the "experiments" have the potential to change your life.

2. The Beauty Detox Solution by Kimberly Snyder

It doesn't matter if you're a health nut or a complete newbie, this book has it all. It explains how our bodies work, and how to look after them so we can look and feel awesome.

If you only ever read one book on health, let it be this one.

3. The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz

This book is decades old, but it's wisdom is timeless. It teaches you how to harness the power of the mind to create the life you want.

It's brilliant, and I re-read it at least once per year, hence why my copy is tattered and missing it's covers.

4.  Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach

Have you ever stumbled across a little old book that looked kind of plain, but when you began to read, it completely blew your mind? This little book was like that for a me.

 It is written as a non-fiction story, but the message is so profound I had to keep putting it down, so I could digest the meaning and let it sink in.

5. The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss 

More than anything, I love a book that challenges the current paradigm and looks at the world from a different angle to the one we're used to being shown.

 This book is all that! I love it most, not for the business insights and resources (which are great on their own) but the reminder of what is possible.

6. The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber

If you are in business, or thinking about going into business, you need to read this book. Seriously. I say this from hard-won experience. This book provides the template for building a sustainable business and teaches you how to work ON your business, instead of IN it.

Buying this book will probably turn out to be the best investment you ever make in your business. Have I mentioned that you need to read this book?

 

7. The Hidden Messages in Water by Masaru Emoto

I've been delving into quantum physics and metaphysics for a while, but this book was mind-blowing, especially some of the author's theories on the Universe and energy fields.

This book also contains stunning photographs of how our words and thoughts affect water molecules (and in turn affect us, and the wider world).

8. Spirits in Spacesuits: A Manual for Everyday Mystics by Sean O'Laoire

Ok, I confess. I borrowed this book from a friend more than six months ago, and I still haven't given it back. He's overseas, so that's my excuse for treasuring this book as long as I possibly can.

This revolutionary book really opened up my mind to a different perspective of God, life, the Universe, the Bible.

9. Don't Get Mad, Get Wise by Mike George 

One day, I was in a bookshop and I only had enough money to buy one book. This was the one I chose. It turned out to be perfectly suited to the situation I was dealing with at the time.

This book teaches us how we can choose to be at peace, no matter what is happening around us or to us. I still use these principles in my everyday life.

10. Not On The Label: What Really Goes Into The Food You Eat by Felicity Lawrence

I've read many books exposing the food and drug industry, but years later, this one still stands out as the one that shocked me so much, it forever changed the way I buy food.

This one is based on the UK food system (although most of it applies to the entire Western world). For an expose on the US food system, try reading Fast Food Nation. 

What books have really blown your mind or changed the way you see the world (or yourself, for that matter?) Let me know in the comments, because I would love to have a read. If they're mind-blowing enough, I may even be obliged to re-arrange my list...

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How To Be A Woman: 5 Ways To Nurture & Celebrate Our Femininity

I was 30 years old, and a mother of 3, before I began to question what it meant to be a woman. Up until that point, I had referred to myself as a “girl”. 

I vowed I would always be a girl at heart.

The truth is, while-ever I was a “girl”, I could expect less of myself. It was my way of staying small and unnoticeable, my way of denying that I was more powerful than first thought, because that was too...confronting, too challenging. That realization would require too much of me.

But as I began to make tentative steps to embrace womanhood, I began to see and understand things that I had never really thought about before. 

Namely, the current imbalance between the feminine and masculine energies in our world, and what this means, not just for ourselves but for all humanity.

We live in a society that organizes and governs itself according to masculine concepts of competition, hierarchy, status, logic and rank.

Masculine energy is practical, focused, determined, proactive, goal-oriented. The female energy is spiritual, fluid, adaptable, accepting, process-oriented.

The masculine energy aims and achieves, while the feminine energy attracts and receives

The masculine energy thrives on competition, while the feminine energy thrives on co-operation. We don’t need to look very far to see the competitive masculine energy at work – our education system grades and ranks students (competition), governments are elected via a poll (competition) while experts remind us that “competition is good for the economy.”

The masculine energy “hunts” – goes after or pursues what it wants – while the feminine energy “gathers” – attracts or manifests what it wants.

For the male energy, the outcome is important, but to the feminine, the journey is what matters. During times of crisis or challenge, the masculine tendency is to “fix things”, while the feminine energy seeks to “understand things”.

Both energies are equally important and necessary – one to envision and understand, the other to implement. Neither is better or worse. They are just different. They are two halves of the whole.

In an ideal world, the two energies would balance and complement each other. Like the yin and the yang. In harmony, they allow us to experience life in it’s richest, fullest expression.

Each one of us – no matter what our physical sex is – harbors these energies, yet for many of us, the feminine is suppressed in order to survive in a society that organizes itself according to masculine concepts and priorities. The feminine principles of nurturing and co-operation simply get pushed into the background and ignored.

One (unintended, I believe) result of the feminist movement was the further imbalance of the two energies – rather than encouraging both sexes to honor the feminine and creating a society that embraced all parts of ourselves, it simply gave women permission to compete and achieve (be more masculine.)

As a society, we pursue (masculine way of doing things, again!) a politically-correct version of “equality”, which has nothing to do with balance, and everything to do with trying to conform women into roles and positions and policies which are entirely foreign and unnatural to our feminine spirit. A band-aid solution, at best...

It is time for us to embrace our femininity in an authentic and loving way. This is not about getting a Brazilian wax, and fluttering my eyelashes at the opposite sex, in order to get what I want, but rather embracing all that I am – a whole, other, neglected part of myself.

I’m talking about finding a balance – between achievement and process, between planning for the future and enjoying this moment, between aiming for what could be and accepting what is, between pursuing what I want and simply allowing what I need...

Trying to embrace my own femininity has been a learning experience. Ironically, it has made me stronger yet more humble, focused but more adaptable. I have come to believe there are some core aspects that are unique to being a woman, in tune with our feminine energy. 

These are gifts that we can offer ourselves and others, and the world with love...

Surrender

The masculine energy is all about persistence. The female energy surrenders. I am not talking about allowing ourselves to be abused or mistreated - I am talking about surrendering to life itself, to the experience, to the moment, to God...

On the rare occasions I have surrendered 100%, letting go of all my own wants and plans and expectations, I have experienced the most wonderful state of bliss. (I wrote about it here: 5 Things I Learnt in Heaven.)

We have been conditioned to think that surrender is a sign of weakness. I believe the very opposite is true. Surrender – giving up the need to be in control – takes incredible courage. Sometimes it is the hardest thing in the world! It is an act of the deepest faith. 

We may reach this point only after we have thoroughly exhausted ourselves by trying to keep all the balls in the air, organize everyone and oversee every aspect of our life. It can be a surprising discovery that the world doesn't actually fall apart if we step back and simply allow some things to "be", rather than trying to force our own will all the time. 

Even consider for a moment the female sexual organs, they are the epitome of surrender - dark and soft and yielding. “Soft” and “yielding” does not imply weakness, in fact, it is these same qualities that enable the birth canal to expand and unfold, and safely deliver a new life into the world.

The feminine energy knows that there are mysterious, unseen, powerful forces at work in the universe. The feminine energy is open and intuitive to these, and willing to be guided by these forces that others might call “fate” or even “coincidence”.

Faith

This is a quiet assurance of our ability to manifest the very experience and result that we need. (Not always what we want, mind you!! But always what we need...). And when that experience comes our way, we will not only meet it, we will rise up to embrace the challenge.

This is a deep inner knowing that WE WILL BE OKAY - whether in a relationship or alone, with children or without, with a career or without...we already possess everything we need to flourish and grow.

Marianne Williamson once wrote: “Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us.” That quote is so often attributed to Nelson Mandela, but it came from the heart of a woman...

Love Fully

Only in the past 2 years, I started to become aware that I withhold love from others, for fear of being taken advantage of.

The truth is, it’s not that I'm afraid of being taken advantage of per se, I was afraid that if I did get taken advantage of, I wouldn't have the confidence to speak up and deal with it assertively. It really stemmed from a lack of faith in myself – to set boundaries, to say no, to speak up when it was awkward or uncomfortable.

To love fully is an act of courage. It puts us in a position of vulnerability – which is why it takes a strong person to go there. We are stating that we will give of ourselves, regardless of the eventual outcome.

Mass media bombards us with songs like we “can’t live without him” and “I’ll be your slave”. This diminishes our true power. We will be just fine “without him”, and deep down, we know that.

Acknowledging this allows us to love deeply and fearlessly, to give ourselves completely to the joy of this moment, this embrace, this connection... and not be distracted by what may, or may not, be tomorrow.

Honor Our Role As Mothers and Nurturers.

Our bodies bring forth new life.

The feminine energy tends toward caring and nurturing and making a home, whether we have actually birthed a baby or not. We listen to our friends problems and console and sympathize, we delight in decorating or arranging our own homes.

Despite the natural desire to nurture others, this can sometimes deplete our energies to such an extent that we find ourselves unable to nurture ourselves.

I believe it is vital that we nurture ourselves , for two reasons. One being that giving and giving (without putting back in) eventually results in depletion. At this point, we are empty, and resentment is bound to set in.

The other reason is that being happy and fulfilled (filled full) is possibly the most loving gift we can give to our children, our family, and our selves.When we are exhausted and running on empty, we have nothing to give others - we simply can't give away what we don't have.

Nurturing ourselves also includes nourishing our body with pure, living foods, nourishing our spirit by doing what we love, that which lights us up, and nourishing our mind by choosing energizing and uplifting thoughts.

It's okay to ask for help. The feminine spirit thrives on co-operation, not on some misguided competition to see who can be the strongest and most stoic and "go it alone".  By the same token, it's time to stop viewing other females as "competition" and instead support and co-operate with each other as sisters.

Self-aware

For too long, we have been lulled into believing that others know best for us. There is nothing more dis-empowering, than the belief that we cannot trust ourselves!

So many people believe that a doctor knows their body better than they do. Just because someone has studied the textbooks and knows the scientific names for the anatomy and physiology of the human body...does not make him more of an expert than the person who has actually inhabited that body since before birth! No certificate or textbook or qualification knows your body more intimately than you know your body.

For several decades now, we’ve listened while experts argued and changed their minds over how we should discipline our children, whether eggs are good or bad, whether margarine is healthier than butter, whether women can “have it all”...and on and on it goes. Instead of empowering us, the barrage of information has just confused us, and made us more reliant on the supposed expertise of others.

(What does it take to be an “expert” anyway?! Is there a special course? Must one reach a certain level of qualification or experience? Or if they talk about a subject long enough and eloquently enough, others will inevitably bestow them the title of expert?)

Deep down, we know what is right. We’ve always known! But we tend to get confused by all the conflicting information and voices, and we begin have doubts that we may not actually know what’s best for us! Every question can be answered in the body - just visit a trained kinesiologist if you have any doubts. Kinesiologists are not trained to know what's "best" for your body, they're simply trained to "hear" what your own body is saying. 

Our bodies are always talking to us...if only we cared to listen, or seek to understand. Our body constantly gives us feedback about what we ate, whether we're getting enough sleep or nutrients, whether we're happy and fulfilled. When we don't listen, the symptoms become more pronounced until finally, illness or disease manifests. Sometimes sickness is the only way our body can make itself heard...

Listening to our intuition, our “gut feeling”, our inner voice is like any habit – it gets easier with practice.

Sometimes I imagine what our world might look like, if the masculine and feminine energies were both honored, both respected and both utilized – neither one dominating or “in control”, but both complementing the other and working together for the benefit of all.

Would there be domestic violence? Would there be wars? As the bringers of new life into the world, I believe we are intensely aware of the fragility and the preciousness of life. 

We women have so much to offer the world - not by contorting ourselves into unnatural (and unfulfilled) versions of whatever the status quo demands - but by giving ourselves permission to embrace and nurture our forgotten, feminine self. Nobody else is going to give us permission!

Every woman who does this makes it a little easier, a little more acceptable, for their fellow women to do the same...

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Your Word Is Your Wand

Have you ever listened, really listened, to the words you speak - not just aloud, but the internal dialogue playing inside your head? 

A few years ago, I wanted to change the way I felt about myself. I knew that I was low in self-confidence and often felt small and worthless. The first thing I did was started taking notice of the way I was talking to myself in my own head.

 I'm generally a "nice" person. I speak politely and use good manners, but when I started paying attention to my inner chatter, I quickly realized I was anything but nice to myself. I was saying things like "You idiot! What did you do that for?" and "Stupid woman. It's all your fault." 

I don't say those things to others, so why was it okay to say it to myself?

So many of us spend our lives with the same belittling remarks and thoughts going round and round in our heads, like a worn-out tape recording. We're listening to it, but we're not aware that we're listening to it.

I began to change the way I spoke about myself - I made it a rule that I would no longer say anything nasty or rude about myself, either out loud or internally, in the presence of others or alone (Yes, I talk to myself regularly. Some of my best conversations happen with myself!)

When I caught myself saying something nasty, like "You stupid wom..." I would pull myself up, and I would change it to something like "Ok. You messed that one up. But you'll know better next time..."

At first it was hard and I was constantly having to stop and correct myself, but over time it became easier, until it just became a habit to speak kindly to myself, and about myself. I began to feel differently about myself, I began to see my own value, to realize that I was just as important as the next person. 

When I walked into a room full of people, instead of feeling small and inferior (as I had in the past, and likely telling myself that I would rather be at home with a good book), I simply reminded myself that I was just as interesting and like-able as any other person in that room. I began to blossom into the person I've always been on the inside but couldn't quite express properly, due to lack of confidence: warm and affectionate and genuinely interested in others.

Our words create our worlds. Even our thoughts are formulated and given meaning via words. If we can't organize our thoughts into words, they remain just beyond our reach, vague and tantalizing.

Masuru Emoto, a Japanese scientist, developed a way to photograph frozen water crystals, and he discovered something incredibly amazing. Words change the structure of water. Peaceful, loving words created beautiful crystals but hurtful, hateful words caused fragmented, shattered shapes.

The words didn't even have to be spoken aloud. The written word taped onto a water bottle was enough to affect the structure of the water. Incredible!

Remember that our bodies are some 70% water? Your body is listening, literally listening, and responding to your words. Can you imagine how 70% of my body was reacting to my thoughts of "You idiot! What did you do that for?"

I realize everyone has their own beliefs, but for me personally, I choose to believe that I was created in the "image of God". I am a spark of the divine, if you will. If I think of myself as an "idiot" or a "loser", then what must I think of God?

I used to think I had to belittle myself and denigrate myself in the presence of others, in order to be seen as "non-threatening" and harmless. But as Marianne Williamson so eloquently put it: "There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. Your were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us all." 

I'm learning to see myself as a child of the Most High. The amazing, mysterious power that created vast universes and solar systems and seeds that miraculously sprout new life...is the same amazing, mysterious power that created me and created you. How dare we mope through this life feeling worthless and useless and calling ourselves (and others, for that matter!) nasty names?

We were created for a divine purpose. There's a reason we're here in this place, at this point in history. We matter, every one of us. So be kind, to yourself and to each other. 

Our words are our wand. Every word is either lifting us up, or pulling us down. Promoting health or disease, war or peace, victory or failure. Let's be mindful of what we're creating...

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The Importance of "Little" Things

This blog post was unplanned, but it’s something that’s been in my heart the past few days, so I decided to share my thoughts with you.

You know, life seems to go in cycles. We go through times of abundance, when things flow easily, when blessings seem to rain down on us and then other times are like periods of drought – so little encouragement, everything seems difficult, we struggle to hold onto our faith. 

I think both are necessary for our ultimate soul growth and evolution. I also think both are divinely orchestrated by God...with love. 

But naturally, we enjoy one more than the other!

At this point, I’m going through one of those times of abundance. Wow, I feel so humbled by the encouragement and support and blessings I’ve received of late. But it hasn't always been like this…

It’s been nearly 4 years since I realized my life calling was to inspire people to be healthy and fulfill their true potential. I wasn’t even sure how I would go about doing it, but somehow the vision has become clearer as I've forged ahead with my purpose.

Along the way, I’ve been ridiculed, criticized, misunderstood, ignored and laughed at. I’ve spent thousands of hours learning, and then sharing what I learnt - for no pay, and sometimes no thanks either. But I’ve stuck to my path not because of the rewards or payback on offer, but simply because I knew it was right. I’ve kept trying even though at times I questioned if there was any point? Was I making any difference at all? 

But if anything, these past few weeks have reminded me that we simply can’t imagine what effect our actions and words are having on others. They’re like pebbles dropping into a vast ocean and the ripples spread ever outwards, beyond our sight. We may never see the final destination of those ripples, but they’re rippling on just the same!

Recently, I've been contacted by several people who have been inspired or touched by my work in some way. It's almost as though God is whispering encouragement in my ear: "Keep going. You're doing good, but keep going..."

I want to pass along that same encouragement to you. I want to share one story, as a reminder that small, seemingly unimportant things can have a profound impact on another person's life.

Last year, I was on a face-book forum where people were discussing natural cures for cancer. I left a comment about my uncle using bicarbonate soda to cure his prostate cancer. It was a simple little action, took less than a minute, but the consequences were far-reaching.

I did it with the simple intention that someone might find the information helpful or be able to use it in some way.

The following day, I had a friend request from a man I didn’t know. Normally I would ignore this, but for some reason I thought “What the heck?!” and accepted. I then received a private message from this man, who told me his story. He had read my comment about bicarbonate soda and was interested in learning more. He was battling cancer, for the third time, and stated that he would “rather die than go through chemo again.”

I simply shared with him my uncle’s story and what protocol he had used, and encouraged him to go and do his own research, but he went further than that! He began changing his diet, practicing meditation, sharing his discoveries with others – the man basically changed his whole diet and lifestyle. It has been such an honor to witness his transformation, just on my face-book timeline.

Last week, I received a message from this man, and he gave his permission for me to share it with you:

"I have some great news that I almost forgot to tell you. I went to the doctor last week. According to my file, 87% of my body was infected with cancer. As of last week that number has drastically reduced to 8% ! the doctor ran several tests and dismissed it as the machines needed adjustment. He wouldn't believe what I told him I was doing.

But here's even better news. His assistant came over and explained his wife was sick with cancer and he wanted to know what I did to get healthier. When I told him how I came across the info thru you, and explained just what to do.... the assistant, with tears in his eyes thanked me. We exchanged numbers and promised to keep in touch. Thank you Kate. Thank you, thank you, thank you. GOD bless you and your family.

P.s. please keep up the great work you are doing. I will definitely keep spreading the great news, and directing more people to your page."

Please. Don't overlook little things because you think they don't matter. Little things are the only things that have ever mattered. "Great things" are simply little things multiplied, or little things done consistently, over and over again. 

A great mountain is simply trillions of particles of dirt - little things multiplied.

The vast ocean is made up of countless tiny drops of water - little things multiplied.

An incredible journey is made up of millions of small steps - little things multiplied.

An epic goal accomplished is the result of daily choices and actions - little things done consistently.

So don't ever think you can't make a difference with little things.You may never know the end result, or where the final ripples end up, but understand that your every thought, your every word and every action is having an effect - whether it's positive or negative, seen or unseen - the effects are real, just the same.

So keep on doing good. Keep on taking care of the "little things" - a friendly smile, a word of encouragement, a phone call to say hello, a random act of kindness, using manners and courtesy, taking the time to pass along your knowledge to others - even if it seems like nobody cares or notices.

It's being noticed, for that is one of the laws of the Universe. For every action there is a reaction - it can't NOT be noticed.

Keep going.

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How To Meet A Kindred Spirit

Have you ever had a person walk into your life and "see" you instantly, while others have been around you a lifetime, and still haven't noticed who you really are?

I think of these people as "kindred spirits". It's like our souls know and understand each other. 

They don't always stay a long time, sometimes they share our journey for mere moments or months, but we remember them forever. Perhaps they stay only long enough to teach us, or support us during a specific time in our lives (and us in their lives).

Looking back over my lifetime, I've been blessed with a number of kindred spirits over the last two decades.

Some of them are still in my life today, others have long since moved on, but each time I think of them I offer up a little prayer of gratitude that they graced my life in the first place, and send out best wishes to them, wherever they are now. 

What about if you crave that kind of deep sense of connection, but can't seem to find it anywhere?

Well, there's a few things you can do to increase the odds.

Set The Intention And Then Trust It Will Happen At The Right Time: The most joyous and deepest connections are made when they just “happen”, not from trying to force something that isn't. Your kindred spirit will show up…and probably when you least expect it. Keep alert for opportunities but don’t stress and don’t try to contrive a relationship because you long for that connection.

It can not, and will not, be faked or forced!

They say if you want to find like-minded friends, hang out at places which interest you in hopes of meeting someone with similar interests. But I’m not convinced that’s how it works with kindred spirits. 

In almost every case, my kindred spirit came from a completely different background, had a completely different lifestyle, and even looked different to my usual circle of friends. And perhaps that’s how it’s meant to be? Maybe a kindred spirit is not there to agree with everything we already know so that we can carry on our lives exactly as before. A kindred spirit changes our lives and shows us a completely different way of looking at the world. They are divine teachers, if you will. 

Are you ready to have your life changed like that? Are you willing to embrace someone who turns upside down all your comfortable assumptions and lovingly-held opinions? If the answer is no, you may be unconsciously sabotaging every opportunity for a kindred spirit connection.

Be Authentic: How will your kindred spirit recognize you, if you're busy being someone else? When we show our true selves, without the social masks, we implicitly give other people permission to do the same. This makes it easier for kindred spirits to find each other…rather than trying to wade through all the superficial stuff or simply go by like two ships passing in the night.

Yes, it can be scary to be yourself, in a world that seems to function on the unspoken understanding that we all quench our natural impulses to dance or run or sing loudly, and instead sit quietly and make polite conversation about the weather and the traffic...

Don’t Judge a Book By It’s Cover: When I look back on my life, the kindred spirits stand out in my memory, even years later because they made an impact on my life, and such a soul connection doesn't happen every day. But rarely were my kindred spirits like me in appearance or fashion sense or even musical taste. 

I was a good church girl, and one of the kindred spirits who opened up my mind to whole new ways of seeing and empathizing was a beer-loving, bass player in a heavy-metal band. Don’t ask me what drew us together, but we whiled away many magical hours talking about the meaning of life and what we would be when we finally “grew up” (whenever that magical event occurs!) and everything in between.

The importance of being open to other people, no matter what their appearance, was really driven home to me recently. Just a few weeks ago, I was blessed by another kindred spirit who quite literally came out of the blue. The circumstances were so unlikely that I can only put it down to divine orchestration.

A missed call from a wrong number, then a conversation that got off on the wrong foot entirely, somehow became that glorious moment when you realize you have stumbled across someone who “sees” you and “gets” you right down to the core of your being.

I didn’t meet the guy for several weeks, and when I did, I was somewhat surprised to discover that he looked nothing like the person I pictured in my head. From our phone conversations, I knew him to be incredibly smart and “switched on” and driven, but also compassionate, humble, kind and a true humanitarian at heart. (A typical Virgo!)

In “real life” I was surprised to discover that he dressed and walked with that typical hip-hop style and swagger. For some reason, I just wasn't expecting that, and it was a reminder to me: Never underestimate or dismiss another person because of they way they look. 

We risk missing out on some of the most amazing, life-changing interactions if we automatically rule out people who look or act or think differently to us.

If I passed that young man on the street, I might never have guessed that he is a complete master of his trade, due to unwavering dedication to learning and hard work, or that most of his work is done for free, for people who can’t afford to pay him. I probably wouldn’t have guessed that he dreams of setting up a factory to train unemployed youth in the poorest neighbour-hood. I certainly wouldn’t have guessed that no matter what time he goes to bed each night, he’s up at 4am every morning to do his morning prayers and worship.

Kindred spirits recognize each other by the way they make each other feel, NOT the way they look.

Be honest: It's okay to tell someone that you feel a connection with them and you'd love to stay in contact. You'll know if the feeling is mutual - they'll seek out your presence as much as you seek out theirs...It won't feel like hard work or too much effort. You'll simply find a way to be in each other's lives.

But understand that everyone has their own path and their own journey to complete. Sometimes life pulls us in different directions, and we have to be willing to let them go, with love. It is enough to know that our lives are better for having known them (and hopefully theirs are better for having known us!), and we are better for having allowed them into our hearts...

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