A Love Story - Living a Life of No

Rewind to 1999 for an unexpected love story…

"It’s freeeeezing here in Virginia! What a crazy way to start New Year’s Day,” I said to my sister, Cathy. “Well, I loved coming to this Buddhist temple on my lunch beak so I thought you would love it too.” That’s EXACTLY what my soul needed right now. Because I was separated from my husband and our future was grey. So my sister and I entered the building, and then tip-toed into the empty, large sanctuary in shoeless silence, meandering around the room's perimeter lined with huge crystal boulders. “Oh, my! It’s so beautiful,” I said. I could hear my breath…then my heart beat… boom, boom boom, BOOM BOOM. Then we stood in front of an altar with the statue of Tara, the Mother of Buddha. My eyes feasted on the glittering offerings of brass bowls filled with fruits, candies, and flowers. “I know you’re very sad,” says Cathy. “So if you died tomorrow, what one thing would you regret never having done? “Not having a daughter.” WHERE on earth did this answer come from? Was this really ME talking? The workaholic, career-focused, 45 year-old and maybe soon-to-be-divorced woman? Couldn’t be.

“You need to leave something…an offering of sorts…before we go,” Cathy said. I prayerfully took off my amethyst necklace and placed it on the altar. And just six months later a bright, brown-eyed little girl from the island of Roatan, Honduras with a passion for learning sits in my third grade classroom. I’d decided to move there to re-start my life, alone, and as a teacher. We fell in love…and in time came to know one another as daughter and mother. She visited me for Spring Break and never left. And this beautiful daughter, born of my heart, entered the world in February. And, of course, her birthstone…is amethyst.

Fast forward to now

My daughter is now a successful, young professional making her way in the USA. We are blessed to live near one another and my mom, her grandmother. There aren’t enough words to share how my heart and soul feels every day when we talk or see one another. It hasn’t always been easy, but there’s always been LOVE there. I am grateful, I am.

My lessons learned

Take chances…Give everything…Be Fearless… Ask…and have NO REGRETS!

Final Thoughts

“In the end we only regret the chances we didn’t take, the relationships we are afraid to have, and the decisions we took too long to make.” ~Unknown

What chance can you take? What relationship or love story do you yearn for? And what decision can you make right now that will move you closer to living a life with no regrets?!

Lore is Founder & Chief Inspirator of Women as Visionaries.

Women as Visionaries with Lore Raymond Magazine is a Facebook page that serves to empower women through the wisdom of nine gifted contributors who share spiritual inspiration and information. The Women as Visionaries group is a vibrant open page for Divine Dialogue where a daily VisionQuestion is asked.