Acknowledgments
Kathy Upper and Spiritual Niagara
I met Kathy in 1995, when I was just starting out in Social Services. At that time for both of us, Spiritual Niagara, the term lightworker and the connecting community was only an echo away in the distant future. While in college, my second year placement was at Niagara College Youth Employment Services (previously Futures and then Job Connect) where Kathy had been working as an Employment Consultant for quite some time. After my placement, I was hired on and Kathy became my supervisor for several years. It was at that point, I started to call her my mentor.
I learned from Kathy, the most important aspect of being a counseller, or a lightworker in any area of choice, is to be authentic – to be real. I will always be grateful to Kathy for this. Anyone could have taught me everything else; textbook. It takes someone special to role model and instill authenticity.
When she asked me to write a column for her new online newsletter, I felt excited and honoured. July, 2014 marked my 4th anniversary of the column. As I look back, I remember 4 years of deadlines, 4 years of scrambling to meet that deadline, 4 years of threatening writer’s block, 4 years of emailing Kathy with “it’s coming, it’s coming” messages, and 4 years of Kathy’s patience and tolerance. She has asked my opinions on issues that have come about and included me in the Spiritual Niagara growth. Empowering and inspiring others just comes naturally to Kathy. She has little idea of the true affect she has on others.
When I told her I was compiling the articles of the column into an ebook, she was elated and right away started thinking up ways to promote it.
Lightworker’s Way: A Spiritual Niagara Column, 30 Years’ Compilation would not exist in any form if it weren’t for my mentor and friend, Kathy Upper.
Thank you my friend, for being you!
You can check out Kathy’s website, SPIRITUAL NIAGARA by clicking on this link:
http://spiritualniagara.ca/
Kathy Upper and Spiritual Niagara
I met Kathy in 1995, when I was just starting out in Social Services. At that time for both of us, Spiritual Niagara, the term lightworker and the connecting community was only an echo away in the distant future. While in college, my second year placement was at Niagara College Youth Employment Services (previously Futures and then Job Connect) where Kathy had been working as an Employment Consultant for quite some time. After my placement, I was hired on and Kathy became my supervisor for several years. It was at that point, I started to call her my mentor.
I learned from Kathy, the most important aspect of being a counseller, or a lightworker in any area of choice, is to be authentic – to be real. I will always be grateful to Kathy for this. Anyone could have taught me everything else; textbook. It takes someone special to role model and instill authenticity.
When she asked me to write a column for her new online newsletter, I felt excited and honoured. July, 2014 marked my 4th anniversary of the column. As I look back, I remember 4 years of deadlines, 4 years of scrambling to meet that deadline, 4 years of threatening writer’s block, 4 years of emailing Kathy with “it’s coming, it’s coming” messages, and 4 years of Kathy’s patience and tolerance. She has asked my opinions on issues that have come about and included me in the Spiritual Niagara growth. Empowering and inspiring others just comes naturally to Kathy. She has little idea of the true affect she has on others.
When I told her I was compiling the articles of the column into an ebook, she was elated and right away started thinking up ways to promote it.
Lightworker’s Way: A Spiritual Niagara Column, 30 Years’ Compilation would not exist in any form if it weren’t for my mentor and friend, Kathy Upper.
Thank you my friend, for being you!
You can check out Kathy’s website, SPIRITUAL NIAGARA by clicking on this link:
http://spiritualniagara.ca/
Moss Whelan
Moss – my “cuz”. A soul-mate I know has travelled quite the journey of past lives with me. Cultured. Eccentric. Weird. A true Whelan.
As an author, creative writing teacher, and the closest thing to an editor and agent I’ve got at this time, Moss is another essential element to this creation. Amidst his challenging and layered days of life in beautiful British Colombia, he has taken the time to support, inspire, motivate, read, format, suggest, re-read, critique, and thrust this publication into the public.
My success is his success.
Moss – my “cuz”. A soul-mate I know has travelled quite the journey of past lives with me. Cultured. Eccentric. Weird. A true Whelan.
As an author, creative writing teacher, and the closest thing to an editor and agent I’ve got at this time, Moss is another essential element to this creation. Amidst his challenging and layered days of life in beautiful British Colombia, he has taken the time to support, inspire, motivate, read, format, suggest, re-read, critique, and thrust this publication into the public.
My success is his success.
Dad - Tony Whelan
Without his knowing, he has molded this lightworker.
He resounded repeatedly through my younger years, for a variety of reasons, “It’s all in your head,” and reiterated a piece of wisdom that helped to create a stable and well-needed foundation, “Everything in moderation,” never recognizing he was training me to be a teacher of empowerment and balance.
On one hand, he taught me to be unique, an individual, and be proud of it by role-modeling a lifestyle that suited only himself.
And on another, he sacrificed a big part of who he is so much so that I could watch his suffering over my lifetime and understand the primary importance of being true to ourselves.
And finally, with his diagnoses of ALS this year, he has hurled me into the final stages of completing this piece of work. By staying with him at this time, helping him through his last days, he is helping me move forward with my next contribution to this world.
My success is his legacy.
Without his knowing, he has molded this lightworker.
He resounded repeatedly through my younger years, for a variety of reasons, “It’s all in your head,” and reiterated a piece of wisdom that helped to create a stable and well-needed foundation, “Everything in moderation,” never recognizing he was training me to be a teacher of empowerment and balance.
On one hand, he taught me to be unique, an individual, and be proud of it by role-modeling a lifestyle that suited only himself.
And on another, he sacrificed a big part of who he is so much so that I could watch his suffering over my lifetime and understand the primary importance of being true to ourselves.
And finally, with his diagnoses of ALS this year, he has hurled me into the final stages of completing this piece of work. By staying with him at this time, helping him through his last days, he is helping me move forward with my next contribution to this world.
My success is his legacy.
Note from the Author
The title of the book
In July 2010 when the column first started, I chose the title of the column to be Lightworker’s Way as a tribute to Doreen Virtue’s book Lightworker’s Way. At the time, there was no knowing that the column would continue to be written this long and an ebook would transpire. Once the idea of the ebook was considered, I added to the title to separate the two.
There are additions to the ebook from the originally published columns in the SN newsletter. Quotes and exercises have been added so that there is now a consistency of them at the beginning (quote) and ending (exercise/suggestion) with each article. Some articles will have exercises throughout so no need for the ending. The pictures that were added are mostly pictures that have been used with the column that are originals, taken by me.
The title of the book
In July 2010 when the column first started, I chose the title of the column to be Lightworker’s Way as a tribute to Doreen Virtue’s book Lightworker’s Way. At the time, there was no knowing that the column would continue to be written this long and an ebook would transpire. Once the idea of the ebook was considered, I added to the title to separate the two.
There are additions to the ebook from the originally published columns in the SN newsletter. Quotes and exercises have been added so that there is now a consistency of them at the beginning (quote) and ending (exercise/suggestion) with each article. Some articles will have exercises throughout so no need for the ending. The pictures that were added are mostly pictures that have been used with the column that are originals, taken by me.