I have been quite busy lately. There are so many things going on; so many events, so many commitments, and not enough time to do it all. At least, that’s how I’ve been feeling. For starters, I am still trying to get used to my new professional role as an administrator at one of NYC’s public hospitals. I’ve been in my new role for about 5 months and while I have worked in health care my entire professional career, I forgot what it was like to deal with staff issues, patient issues, and customer satisfaction. It has been very overwhelming to say the least. In addition to my professional career, I am also a writing workshop facilitator for the New York City Latina Writer’s Group (NYCLWG), a member of the DeAlmas Women’s Institute, a writer, and last but most importantly a first time expecting mom to be. Needless to say I have been EXHAUSTED. But with everything that I have going on I am truly grateful for it all.
I am grateful to have a job that allows me to meet my financial obligations, that allows me to help our patients and improve their overall health care experience, a job where I know I will be challenged every day. I am grateful to be a part of a community of writers where I can teach and learn simultaneously and as a DeAlmas Visionera, I am grateful that I have been able to re-connect with myself, my spirit, and my heart’s deepest desire. Something amazing happens when you start to believe that you truly deserve everything that you ever wanted. As women, we tend to put the needs of others before our own and somehow lose sight of the things that we want for ourselves. At least for me, that statement holds true. Being a member of DeAlmas helped me to regain sight of the things I truly wanted.
I realized that I needed to re-focus and I needed to start putting myself before others. I realized that if I wasn’t happy with myself and the direction of my life then there wouldn’t be much that I could do for others. Once I re-focused on myself, transformational things began to happen for me. First, I was able to complete writing and publishing my first book, Welcome to Heartbreak. Shortly after that I was accepted into Fairleigh Dickinson University’s MFA in creative writing program, and lastly on November 6, 2011 I found out that the one thing I had wanted most, I was finally receiving. I was pregnant with my first child.
This may not seem as something monumental for most women, but for me, after trying unsuccessfully to conceive for the past 10 yrs I had given up on that dream. I had decided that since it hadn’t happened in 10 years it probably wasn’t meant for me to be a mother. I began to feel like I wasn’t good enough to experience such a blessing. It wasn’t until I attended the DeAlmas Visiones workshop in 2011 that slowly but surely those thoughts and self doubt began to disappear. Being able to accomplish my heart’s deepest desires was a direct result of all the self-work I did in 2011 with DeAlmas. This is why I am so honored and excited to be the mistress of ceremonies for the book signing for author and founder of DeAlmas Women’s Institute, Gloria Rodriguez, being held on March 6th, 2012 from 6-9 pm at the Longwood Art Gallery at Hostos Community College.
It is the perfect way to kick off Women’s History Month as we celebrate Gloria’s first book You Are More Than Good Enough. The book, which I love, combines storytelling, sacred wisdom, practical tools and techniques that will inspire, cajole and catapult readers into an embrace of themselves. In this book, Gloria generously shares the pitfalls, challenges and triumphs of her step-by-step voyage to self-acceptance and self-love in order to embrace her soul’s calling. Readers will learn techniques (techniques that we used during our bi-weekly self-work sessions) – treasures of the soul – that will prepare them to rediscover their true essence, connect to their life purpose and deny any power to an inner critic. Knowing you are good enough is no small feat but with compassion and understanding Gloria Rodriguez gives us permission to claim the best of who we are with confidence and without apology.
I invite you all to come share a night of beauty, inspiration, and most importanly self-love because we are all more than good enough.
Click on the link for more info or to RSVP to this event:
nancy arroyo ruffin 