Vision Statement of a Peace-Warrior
June 9, 2016

This blog really has two purposes. Laurie and I want to provide you with some thoughts and ideas to help you tweak those places in your life that aren’t going as well as you’d like. We want to help reduce your suffering, in whatever form it takes, and inspire hope and courage to live your best life. The other purpose is so you get to know us. Then, when you or someone you know could use some counselling support, you feel like you know a few good people with some skills.

I’d like to share my own personal “Vision Statement” with you, for the purpose of meeting those two above objectives. The first relates to living a rich life, free of regret. Often, in the midst of daily to-do lists we miss the big picture of our lives. I often ask clients: “At the end of your life, what will have been important? What do you want others to say about you?” What experiences must you live so you can die without regret?” Taking time to write your own vision statement, or think deeply about these questions is one way to ensure you are living your life on track. The second, as I mentioned above, is because I want you to know me, and honestly, this statement is the heart of who I am as a human being. Plus, I am pretty darn proud of this piece of writing :)

So enjoy! And take some time to ponder your own vision, for your own precious life.

Cheers,

Christina

Ripples of Love: Vision Statement of a Peace-Warrior

There are those women you just want to surround yourself with. You know them, the ones who radiate love, kindness, compassion and wisdom. I’m pretty sure a lot of them do yoga. These women are warriors of peace. Through compassion of self and others, I’m sure they leave ripples of love that will impact generations to come. Simply by being, they have changed the world in unexpected, profound ways.

I can’t imagine it’s easy being one of these women. Every day, every moment, every single time something hard or wonderful arises, you must choose one of two states of being: fear or love. In this world, I think it’s easier to choose fear. But I aspire to choose love every time. I want to be one of these women. Some days I get it right. Others I could do (a lot) better. Perhaps I should do more yoga.

I want to talk to people. Be curious. Get to know them. I want to learn their stories, victories, moments of joy, loneliness and grief. I want our stories to unite us in our humanity, in our own daily struggles of choosing love over fear. I want to be present enough in each moment to notice, and not just notice, but anticipate, when a fellow human is reaching out for connection and care. My greatest teachers, the source of my own inspiration, are those who have struggled and risen. Because truly, haven’t we all?

Earlier I mentioned wisdom. Wisdom is critical to embodying the brilliance of these women. I want to fill my head with knowledge. I want to pursue lifelong learning. I come alive as a student. I come alive when I make links between things I know intrinsically and what the academics and intellectuals tell us. But knowledge needs wisdom if one wishes to change the world. For me, wisdom is the cautious, thoughtful and deliberate application of this knowledge in ways that align with my heart’s mission as a warrior of peace. Learn, reflect, integrate, puzzle, observe, research, stop-talking, listen, dialogue, fall, fail, rise up, repeat… in no particular order; these are the ingredients of wisdom. I strive to be wise.

With this brain full of knowledge, heart full of wisdom, and mission for peace, I want to inspire. I want to teach. I want to ignite a passion for peace within others so that they may create ripples of change for generations to come.

I want to join with community for peace. To take a stand so all people experience freedom from poverty, violence, and discrimination. So all people may experience safety and belonging. And until then, may the community and those who inhabit it have HOPE. Hope that love shall overcome fear in the broadest sense- in our hearts, in our relationships, in our community, and in the world. Until there is peace, I will hold and share hope.

I could not write a life vision without including the owners of my heart. May I do my best, every day, to raise daughters who can shake the painful shackles of fear and the consequences fear brings, so they may love fully and live with peace. Maggie and Hannah, you taught me to love unconditionally and because of this gift, I am able to love others unconditionally. So thank you. Ripples, my children, ripples.

And while I am busy being and doing and learning and teaching and mothering and listening and yoga-ing and leading and loving, may I also be laughing and dancing and delighting in each miracle moment of this life. May I experience gratitude and JOY. And in my own moments of grief and loneliness may I be surrounded by one (or many) of the radiant, peace-warriors of the world, who will embrace me with love, kindness, compassion and wisdom. This is the vision I hold for my precious life.

Expressions of Healing: Art Showcase

By Christina Henderson • June 4, 2025
Stay tuned: Fall 2024 Clients and community members will be invited to share their art- on what it means to be human, to suffer and to heal.
long wooden bridge pathway in a lush forest representing the feeling of wading through anxiety and depression

Anxiety and Depression Need to Be Heard

By Christina Henderson • June 4, 2025
I often struggle with the concept of clinical diagnosis, in particular the common ones in our culture: anxiety and depression. My issue is simple: we too often take normal and valid feelings, that are part of the human experience, then medicalize them as problematic. The response then is to “get rid of” rather than be curious about what these emotions are trying to communicate to us. I have my own experience with on-again, off-again depression. When it’s at its worst, I’d certainly meet clinical criteria: a sense of hopelessness, low mood and motivation, isolation, wanting to sleep a lot but finding it evasive, lack of enjoyment for anything I have loved. You know the drill. But when we start to untangle the why, really look deeply at the list of ingredients making up this soup of depression (or anxiety or other struggles), we begin to realize that these feelings, in fact, make perfect sense. And they are trying to communicate something to us that deserves a listen. Rather than banish the depression or ignore the anxiety, we need to dig a little deeper. And your unique blend of experiences, or your soup (if you will), will help you figure out what you need to do to take care of yourself better. In my case, depression is almost ALWAYS trying to tell me I’m burnt out. It is the only part of me that will put me to bed, remove all pressure for productivity or replying to messages or emails. It wants or needs nothing from me except rest. Clients I work with might notice their depression is driven by underlying shame, or by feeling lost or stuck in their life. They might be carrying grief from losses not yet named or processed. Anxiety too- the world is a scary place right now, and we are so overly exposed to global and local traumas. Perhaps you didn’t feel safe in childhood and that fear has been carried in your body in your adult life. Perhaps you really are in an unsafe situation and your fear is trying to communicate this lack of safety to you. What I am trying to say is… A diagnosis of depression or anxiety does nothing to improve our well-being on a deeper level. We must become detectives of our own suffering. Only then can we learn to move with more self-compassion and grace, to set boundaries when needed, to let go of what we cannot control, to figure out what specialists we may need to see, to rest when we need to, to grieve the losses of our lifetime, and to feel the fears of uncertainty that we all face, every single day. This is where counselling helps. This is what we do. We help you untangle the mess, learn your ingredients, heal what needs to be healed so you can do what you need to do to feel better. Or to simply be with yourself more kindly when it hurts. Sending love,  Christina
woman reads a book and drinks tea learning about surviving love and loss

To Be Human is to Survive Love and Loss.

By Christina Henderson • August 3, 2023
“To be human is to survive love and loss.” – Francis Weller
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