Welcome and thank you so much for subscribing to SoulfulLiving.com’s “Daily Soul Retreat” Newsletter. My name is Valerie Rickel, and I am the founder, creator and soul of SoulfulLiving.com. I am SO excited to be launching a whole new incarnation of the “Daily Soul Retreat” today – a daily inspirational email in existence since 2006!
As part of today’s Daily Soul Retreat, I’d like to introduce myself to all of our new subscribers and also take the opportunity to get reacquainted with all of our loyal subscribers of the past seven years. It is so nice to *see* you. Thank you for welcoming SoulfulLiving.com into your inbox each day!
When I set out to create SoulfulLiving.com in September 1999, I was grieving the loss of my father and had been searching the internet for personal growth and spirituality resources for comfort and healing, but there was so little available online at the time. I knew deep inside that I needed to create a website that would help people and offer inspiration, hope and healing. I had been “called” and I knew that creating this website was something I could not not do. And, I discovered that a wonderful byproduct of following this calling – creating this website – was that it helped me to heal, in many of the same ways I had hoped it would help others. Such a blessed gift! Isn’t there a saying that it is hard to help others without also helping oneself? SoulfulLiving.com is my calling – my Gift from God – my Truth, my Light. I can’t say for sure if I found my life purpose, or if my life purpose found me, but I know, without a doubt, that sharing my passion and love for living a soulful life is why I was put here on this earth.
I made a commitment to myself to launch SoulfulLiving.com on January 1, 2000, in honor of the New Millennium. And, that, I did! Time sure flies quickly. The feelings of excitement of birthing this project into life are still as fresh with me today as they were 14 years ago. My life has seen its share of twists and turns and ups and downs these last fourteen years, as I am sure it has for many of you. I am so grateful to you and hope you have found SoulfulLiving.com meaningful over the last 14 years. I feel very blessed to be given the gift of creating and sharing SoulfulLiving.com with you.
And, I am VERY excited to announce that I have decided to grow, expand and redevelop SoulfulLiving.com this year – modernize her and give her a long-overdue makeover! I have a lot of exciting new features planned for the website, in addition to an abundance of wonderful new content and wisdom from all of our authors. I am very excited about this project and look forward to YOU being a big part of her redevelopment. Your input and feedback will shape who she becomes. Thank you so much for joining me on this awesome journey!
So, to continue with our introductions, that’s me up on the top left, and my two *kids* (the CEOs of SoulfulLiving.com) are to the right of me. Next to them is a photo of my beloved Upstate New York. A native of Los Angeles, California, I summoned up the courage to make a cross-country move a few years ago, to a region I had had a love affair with for many, many years. There is a special magic to this part of our country that my heart cannot even put into words. It is impossible for me to drive the country roads of New York, during all four of our delicious seasons, without hearing my heart sing and feeling like I have found my Nirvana! I am a landscape photographer, among many other things, and photographing the beauty of this region is one of my most favorite past times. You can be sure that you will be seeing many of my photographs in “Daily Soul Retreats” to come.
And, there will be plenty of time for us to get better acquainted in future issues, as well. I hope you will visit the website often to leave your comments and thoughts on our Daily Soul Retreats. I am very excited to get to know each one of you. And, I look forward to seeing you connect with one another, too!
So, here is the plan for our *All New* Daily Soul Retreat… Each weekday, I will be offering you an inspirational “retreat” for your soul – Articles by “yours truly,” Guest Blogs, Videos, Recommended Books, Visual Inspirations, Resources, you name it! You won’t want to miss a single Issue! Our Daily Soul Retreats will be based on a “theme of the month” and July’s theme is “Life Purpose.”
Today, I offer you an essay I was asked to write for a book several years ago. Some of you may have already read it, and for some of you, it will be new. It felt fitting for today’s Daily Soul Retreat, as it tells a little more about the creation of SoulfulLiving.com and explores “life purpose.” I hope that it also serves as a jumping off point for us to get better re/acquainted. Click here to read “Living Your Truth.”
To celebrate the launch of our *All New* Daily Soul Retreat Newsletter, I have put together a very special package of free goodies for you – a “Soul Retreat Gift Pack” filled with over $300 of inspirational goodness for your soul, donated by ten of our awesome authors. Click here for all the juicy details. I hope you enjoy it!
Thank you so much for being a part of SoulfulLiving.com. It is a blessing and an honor to be given the gift of presenting SoulfulLiving.com to you. Cheers to the launch of our *All New* Daily Soul Retreat and to the redevelopment of SoulfulLiving.com! Let’s celebrate!!
With love and gratitude,
Valerie Rickel
Founder and Soul
SoulfulLiving.com
© 2013 Valerie Rickel. All Rights Reserved.
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