Although I had never seen a living waterlily, from the time I was a teenager I was drawn to the flower. As part of a personal progress program for young women in my faith, we were invited to choose a flower symbol. I chose the waterlily.
As an adult forming a business entity, I chose the waterlily as my logo.
Later, I traveled to China and Hawaii, where I experienced the living flowers floating serenely on placid water. Featured above and on the front page of this website, You • R • Your Story, is a photo I took of one of those water lilies.
Recently I had a conversation with a friend, asking for her feedback and opinion of my website’s content. She was struck by the beauty of the waterlily photo and wanted to know more about it.
This led me to ask myself why I had chosen the waterlily as a symbol so consistently. It is an exotic, beautiful flower, but what did it symbolize to me personally?
As I reviewed and reflected on the life cycle of waterlilies, I began to understand why the flower has been a consistent symbol in my life.
Although its seeds root in the mud at the bottom of an often murky pond, it sends a slender stem up to the surface of the water, reaching for the sun’s light. As it reaches the water’s surface a lovely flower blossoms and floats serenely on the water. The blossom lives a few days, fades, falls, and then the cycle of transformation and growth begins again.
Like the waterlily, we sometimes find ourselves in a life experience where we feel “stuck in the mud.” We want to reach for the light and blossom. We want to hope that tranquility, growth, and inner transformation is possible. But finding the pathway to that inner transformation and growth may appear difficult, if not impossible.
I believe in a future where people willingly recognize this cycle of transformation. They believe it is possible to discover a path that leads them to see themselves as conscious creators rather than passive spectators in their own stories.
In that future, individuals understand that growth, change, and self-discovery unfold in an ongoing life cycle of rebirth and transformation. They approach themselves and others with curiosity instead of judgment, acceptance instead of comparison, and confidence instead of fear. As they learn to live in greater harmony with themselves and with God, they discover their own inherent worth and capacity to consciously create their unique ongoing stories.
I see myself as a facilitator helping others find their personal path to inner transformation. Assisting others on their journey to awaken to who they truly are, recognize their ability to reframe or change the stories they tell themselves, and step more fully into their role as agents of change brings me joy.
Just as the waterlily faithfully follows its cycle of reaching toward the light, I hope to help others recognize their own capacity and ability discover their unique life journey, allowing them to grow, blossom, and begin again.