Little steps when you’re committed to growth Lead to big epiphanies if you’re paying attention -Evelina Wood 2021
I’ve dug into myself over the last few years, sifting through the BS, the losses, and the gains. With the boys mostly grown, it was time for me to isolate myself, not for a virus or the pandemic, but to get to know me again. Looking back, it amazes me how God and the Universe somehow make sure we’re on the right track in some serendipitous miracle…
I observed, I digested and I got up close and personal with my shadow self. I dug into relationships: Where had I settled? Where had I not given enough? Where had I lost my voice? I dug into my thoughts in the moment: where was my reaction coming from? A place of fear? A place of peace? I learned what my triggers truly were and where the response came from.
I am far from a point of calm all day every day, but that’s not the goal. The goal is to be my authentic self, make peace with her and acknowledge her faults while celebrating her strengths.
After all, we are all just merely souls having a human experience. When we stop growing as souls, as humans, we lose the light inside of us. That light is what has motivated me through the darkest points of my life. I knew I’d come out on the other side molded into something beyond what I thought I could be.
I will never be perfect, no one can be, but today I am exactly where my soul needs to be. I am ready for the next adventure that awaits…
I was lucky to have been born in the Hudson Valley, NY. My heart lies buried deep in my roots: the tract of immense acreage from New York City to the Adirondacks that is a treasure trove of American History beginning with the Native Indian tribes of the Algonquin and Iroquois to colonization, the Revolutionary War, to the Industrial Age and right up through to modern times. It is an area that has experienced profound change, yet still retains its majestic beauty.
I fell in love with Hudson Valley history at a young age. My hometown alone has three historic sites: the homes of Franklin D Roosevelt, the Vanderbilts and the Livingston Mills. As a young girl I imagined myself as a part of these homes and I was lucky to have teachers who flamed my passions for local history; they created an insatiable curiosity that has followed me throughout my life; inspiring me to learn more about all of the people who came before me.
My favorite time period is the Edwardian Era: the time of robber barons, railroad magnates and gilded lifestyles, encompassing the end of the Victorian Era until the First World War. Those who had money flaunted it profusely, and those who didn't suffered in unimaginable ways. The Hudson Valley experienced the contrast directly with the immense mansions built along the shores of the Hudson River to the immigrants arriving in New York City to make a new life in the United States.
My blog will provide glimpses of life in the Hudson Valley during this time by drawing on the historical research I am always working with and through the snippets of stories I am writing. I hope that my blog brings you enjoyment and a new perspective on a beautiful area so important to American History. Happy reading and thank you for taking the time to visit me!
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Evelina Wood 