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A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog entitled I Want to Change the Way You Cook! In that entry, I explained how I found my purpose in five minutes. My purpose is to connect people with God/Source through food, by sharing ways to experience gratitude and peace while cooking. This brings me joy and feeds my soul. You can answer the same questions I did, to find your purpose too!
After writing that post, I did a lot of thinking, even more than usual! I think we all have more than one purpose, and it can change throughout our lifetime. I believe that we are called to use our gifts to serve others. I was greatly surprised to realize that for most of my life, my underlying purpose was to find and know my worth. I’ve had glimpses of it throughout my life. I knew my worth when I was with my Grandpa, it was undeniable. I could see it in his eyes, and I believed it. He died a month before I turned five, and my sense of worth died with him. It’s been a long journey back. It seems part of the human condition to struggle to know we are worthy, we are deserving and we are loved. I’m not sure why that is. Maybe struggling for it makes it that much sweeter. How about you? Where are you on the journey of knowing your worth? Knowing your worth empowers your purpose. It gives you confidence to do scary things,to take chances and hold your head high when others do not see your vision. Knowing your worth gives you strength to keep going even though progress is slow. I feel I have finally stepped into my worth. That doesn’t mean life is suddenly easy, or that I have complete confidence every minute. It does mean I speak up for myself; I clearly set and state my boundaries and no longer tolerate being treated with disrespect. It translates to making better choices, which leads to a greater life of giving and receiving. I love that. I wish that for you, for each person knowing their worth makes this world a better place.
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My father-in-law just celebrated his 100th birthday. Wow, 100 years! He is still active, lives independently and still drives!
I’m sure you’ve heard the song Live Like You Were Dying sung by Tim McGraw. Well, I want to live like I was dying, but also plan on living til I’m 100. That way, I appreciate every day AND don’t slow down in my “Winter Season of Life”, which is supposed to start at 60. Here are some people who ignored that stereotype:
The list goes on and on! How will you choose to live your life? These are great examples of people who made each day count and did not let their age decide or deter them from greatness. I’m 62. Someday, I hope it will be noted that I made a huge difference for good and was going strong until the day I died at 95…or so. Grief, grace and gratitude. Grief and grace from God are automatic, meaning it is part of life that we humans have little or no control. Gratitude is a choice, and not always an easy one.
My mom died 9 months ago. Despite her being 12 days short of turning 99, her passing hit me like a ton of bricks. I didn’t expect that. I didn’t realize she was such an anchor for me. I cried every day for six months. I couldn’t see her picture without shedding tears and feeling a deep emptiness in my heart. I don’t cry every day now, but there are moments, like at family gatherings, her presence is deeply missed, and my tears flow. Everyone grieves differently, and this is where grace comes in. There are two types of grace. Grace of God, that is offered to us freely, and grace or kindness offered to ourselves and each other. I believe the grace of God is always available to us, but human grace is a choice, just like gratitude. I was born “sensitive”. I learned to dislike that label because most people associate it with weakness. I don't. Not anymore. I am an Empath. I feel things deeply and you need some serious strength to do that. It took me a while to figure that one out. When I did, it was easier to offer myself some grace… Which brings me to gratitude. There were many years I was NOT grateful for being born sensitive, I hated it. I hated how I was being judged wrongly. It’s taken 62 years for me to realize that I need to offer others grace for not understanding, and be truly grateful for my gift of sensitivity. It opens me up to a lot of information that I can use to serve others. If you were a friend of mine, you would know what a gift it is to be listened to by someone who empathizes with your feelings. I share all of this to bring you to a place of knowing that it may take you years to be grateful for hardships, or things that are unjust and unfair. There are heart-wrenching experiences we each go through. There are many questions I have for God as to WHY certain things happen. I flat out can’t understand the hate crimes, the greed, the wickedness that exists. I can hear my Grandma, and my Mom quoting one of their favorite scriptures: Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. This may take me another 62 years. But I am choosing to believe that ONE DAY, despite the grief, I will, WE WILL ALL experience grace and gratitude. I want to change the way you cook, and here is why:
About 6 years ago, I was struggling with my job as an RN. I had been a Nurse for almost 25 years at that point and I felt like I didn’t know what my purpose was anymore. I listened to a Ted Talk given by Adam Leipzig on how to find your purpose in 5 minutes. By answering the 5 questions Adam asked, I was able to articulate that my purpose is to connect people with God/Source through food. Here are my answers to the 5 questions Adam asked:
This is how the idea of Finding God in Gourmet was born, and it has become my Life’s Work. It took several years for me to build the courage to take the leap of faith and retire early. There were bills to pay, a daughter to put through college, and needed medical insurance. I left a lot of money and security on the table by retiring at 61, but I could no longer ignore the gnawing feeling that there had to be more to life than this! It’s been one and a half years since I left my well-paying job. It hasn’t been easy building the foundation of my Life’s Work. But oh man, has it been liberating! I still have so far to go, so much to learn about how to best get my message out so I can provide sustenance and peace to as many people as possible. I will do this work for the rest of my days because it brings me joy, because the world is in need of it, because we can all experience what it’s like to be a “Spiritual Foodie” by cooking with Source. I can’t cook for everyone on the planet, but I can teach people how to obtain sustenance and peace using the cooking methods and messages in Finding God in Gourmet. To be clear, this is not religious. You can substitute God with Source, Spirit, Self, Universe - whatever feels right to you. I have a 10 minute video on YouTube describing what it is and what it is not. Check it out. Here is a more complete statement of my purpose: to connect people with God/Source through food by sharing ways to experience gratitude and find peace while cooking, because it brings joy, sustenance and peace. Why don't you answer the 5 questions above and see what comes to you? If becoming a Spiritual Foodies interests you, please help me by spreading the word, sharing my website, subscribing to my YouTube Channel and Social Media venues. Do you know anyone in TV, Radio, or News that you could introduce me to? I would be delighted to have you and or them come over for dinner to experience my food, and IT IS AN EXPERIENCE. I look forward to hearing from you. With much gratitude and aloha, Maile |
AuthorSpiritual Foodie, Chef, Holistic RN, Healer Archives
January 2025
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