I’m back from Barcelona!
You may have thought I was crazy heading out with two of my girls to live in Barcelona for a month.And wanted to share my trip with you. Highlights? Definitely my pilgrimage to Lourdes, where 10 years ago I prayed for a healthy pregnancy. Then there was speaking about women’s sexual health at the Spanish Antiaging Medical Association conference as well as immersing myself and my daughters into a wonderful holistic educational experience…more on all of this below.
Seriously I thought so too!
Well I’ve never let my craziness stop me before, so off we went. The plan was to live in Barcelona for a month to fully experience the culture of a city that I’ve wanted to visit for 30 years. I had had a college roommate from Barcelona who was Catalan and had spoken so many wonderful things about it.
Barcelona has always been on my bucket list. And so has returning to Lourdes to give thanks.
An Emotional Journey to Lourdes
Right before coming home we were able to make a trip to Lourdes, France, the holy site of the visitation of Our Lady of Lourdes to Saint Bernadette as a young girl.
This is very special to me as exactly 10 years ago it’s where I prayed that I would not lose the pregnancy of my daughter that I was told I would never have due to infertility. I did everything I knew as a gynecologist and everything I knew as a child of God. And I am grateful, so grateful to have my young daughter Avamarie with me at my side especially during our visit to Lourdes. Yes it is no coincidence that she is named Avamarie in honor of our lady.
Hear a bit more about my visit to Lourdes by watching my Facebook video.
We went into the baths of Lourdes where you can actually dip in the water from the grotto. It was an incredibly emotional, compassionate and holy experience. I overflowed with emotion and tears and witnessed the compassion of the aides and sisters that were part of this process. I can’t remember ever experiencing a room full of such kind, compassionate, loving spirits. Words cannot be expressed really about the emotional capacity that I felt.
On my Facebook video that I posted relating to my visit to Lourdes I received hundreds of petitions for prayers. I want all of you to know that I have prayed for you and will continue to do so. Please let me know how you do as well as if there’s anything else you’d like to add to my prayer list.
An Opportunity for Personal Growth
I had been invited to participate, along with my daughters, at a four week long Mindvalley University alternative education experience. This was a pseudo-academic setting with coaching focused on personal growth, business growth, marketing, holistic development and more. Attendees were all ages and from all over. It was wonderful because I got to interact with and listen to some great speakers including Marisa Peer, Lisa Nichols, Sonia Choquette, Eric Edmeades, Vishen Lakhiani and I got the awesome opportunity to coach and teach youth in a few pretty cool areas including positive focus, discernment, morning and evening rituals and stress reduction with techniques such as with the Muse meditation headset and Heartmath.
Both my daughters, ages nine and 18, experienced the different educational programs that were going on as well. I was really pleased for Amira, my 18-year-old, to be by my side in the adult education series and really saw her get into the messaging and learning experience as well as make some really good connections from around the world.
Aging and Women’s Sexual Health (Guess What? We all deal With the Same Issues No Matter Where We Live!)
My second professional purpose in going was to visit the Spanish Antiaging Medical Association conference. I was invited to speak on women’s sexual health topics and further conferenced with colleagues from Spain and Portugal about issues relating to antiaging. Always fascinating to have these discussions with an international perspective.
Low and behold, and certainly no surprise to you, we deal with the same issues of vaginal dryness, leaking, hot flashes, weight gain… and we are all on board to make positive changes that increase our quality of life no matter how many days are left.
Here I am with JB Owens…she created reusable panty liners!
I visited Andorra and the Pyrenees Mountains as well and ended my trip back in Barcelona, for a few more days to relish in the city streets and to sit on my balcony for coffee in the morning and wine at night.
I so enjoyed the sounds, smells and sights, creating just an incredible contentment all around me.
We had a wonderful experience all around.
Now I just need to lose the weight that I gained!
It is back on my Keto-Green® program for me! Too much delicious food and I came back slightly acidic and with an extra 10 pounds.
The Power of Bucketlists!
Even with the weight gain…I strongly encourage everyone to keep their bucketlists out in front of them…and try and check one off now and then.
It will nourish your soul, your heart and your life!
What bucketlist item have YOU checked off recently, and how did it make you feel?
