I'll start with the only part of this that is somewhat on topic. The
photography.

We had company Mon night. One of the people is a budding photojournalist
with a fancy schmancy digital camera from the university, and she has
offered to photograph my jewelry. Yippee.

And the rest:

People who came over were involved in "the healing arts",
primarily Reiki, and I re-remembered some of my earlier mental health
history. Two of the three of us who practice Reiki, spoke of having issues
really smack them in the face when they began their training.

People doing Reiki often have that experience, but I did not. Looking back
for reasons, I see that I had already been working with a psychologist on
alcohol, domestic violence, and Co-Dependence, as well as Depression. So
perhaps many of my issues were already well on their way to resolution.

I had also been trying desperately to deal with my Depression. Anything was
worth a try. Psychology, meds, meditation while hugging trees, Tai Chi, Qi
Gung (think Chi Kung), Reiki. But nothing was working to lift the
Depression. And then it occurred to me. In healing arts, they speak of
healing, not of curing.

There are lots of conditions a person cannot be cured of, but a person can
be brought to a level of comfort and readiness. Often the "healing" Reiki
will bring to a cancer patient (eg), is an acceptance of the condition and
peace of mind, and readiness to take the next step,even while still fighting
the disease using the bodies own wisdom.

It occurs to me that while I am not cured and might never be, I am healed to
a large extent. I want to be more, but I can love myself as I am. And I
think because of that, I can fight the effects of Depression much better.

Tina