Surrender - A Mother’s Acceptance of What Is
written by Nicola Irvine
I would like to offer you an extract from my latest book, Surrender – a mother’s acceptance of what is
“Welcome, dear reader
The reason you have this book in your hand is you know it is time to make a change in your life so that you can live your purpose, enjoy the juice in life, and learn to live again. It is your soul that has drawn you to this book. Your soul is wanting you to lighten your load, take out the bricks in your backpack, and allow your joy to flow. It is time to find your heart again and be connected to your soul.
Maybe you have had a crisis in your life, hit a brick wall, had some kind of spiritual wake-up call, or perhaps you are like me: you have climbed the wrong mountain, collected emotional baggage in your backpack along the way, and then when the mountain started to crumble, you realised you really wanted to be on the mountain over in the distance. And it has taken me a few wake-up calls and decades to know this.
My desire is to assist you, the dear reader, to fast-track back to your heart, your purpose, and your soul. This is why I decided to write this book with huge encouragement from my son, Thomas. Know that I do not regret my past experiences, as I know I wouldn’t be the person I am today had all of those experiences not occurred. Yes, I embrace the good, the bad, and the ugly or as I recently heard, “the good, the bad, and the godly.” I love the person I am today. It hasn’t been easy and indeed I have struggled with surrendering and accepting what has happened to me. I had suppressed my emotions. I had lived by my human ego, only to find there is an easier way to do life. It is to be. To be me. The “me” right in the core of my being.
Over these few decades, I have tried, tested and learned numerous techniques, teachings, and therapies. Some are more beneficial than others and some still remain as part of my daily practices for my health and well-being today. One of my key techniques has been to go through what I call “the valley of emotions.” The first mountain I climbed in my life was a mountain of striving, lots of pushing and accumulating material things. I eventually realised, it was not the mountain I wanted to be on. I wanted to be on the mountain in the distance, the mountain where my heart was open, my soul was singing, and I was living my purpose. What I needed to do was to be aware of my emotions, allow my emotions and feel my emotions in their rawest of states, and not attach a story to my emotions. As a young woman, I did not really feel my emotions, so there has been much for me to let go and remember. I needed to remember that emotions are just the pure energy, energy in motion. When you allow your emotions without attaching a story, they pass very quickly.
In the past, I was determined, single-minded and a striver. I would say I lived purely in my ego. That’s why I believe I have had numerous spiritual wake-up calls to awaken me to my true purpose, passion, and my soul.
As you read about my spiritual wake-up calls, you will read about how I discovered that in feeling my emotions, defeating my fears, I am now able to live my purpose. I now want to inspire you to do the same.
As I connected more with being, I was able to connect more directly with Thomas. I realised that within Thomas’s challenges, there was a gift. I also recognised that others like Thomas need an advocate, a parent or caregiver, who is listening, present, and connected to their heart to assist and bring their gift to the surface.
This book is to assist you to do this. To assist you to open your heart so you can listen, and have what I have with my son, Thomas. Thomas makes it clear this book is to ultimately assist others like him. The way to do this is help their parents and caregivers gain the peace, the calm and purpose they crave so they can learn to live again.
Thomas is perfect just the way he is. He is 23-years-old, soon to be living in his own home, an internet business owner, a social being who happens to be bilaterally profoundly deaf, he has epilepsy, is left side hemiplegia, developmentally delayed, and non-verbal. He, along with Alicia, Siân, and Greg, have taught me to be the best person I can be.
Your Thomas is offering you this same opportunity. All you need to do is STOP. Listen to what your soul is wanting for you.”
Nicola Irvine helps parents who struggle with fear, exhaustion, and feeling like they’re on a hamster wheel, to finally experience calm, clarity and peace so they can have a happy, joyful home life.
She is an adventure-loving ex-accountant who enjoys time with family and inspiring parents through writing, coaching and speaking. She’s lived in multiple countries, written 3 books and has recently co-written a song.
When Nicola’s son, Thomas contracted bacterial meningitis leaving him with lifelong challenges, she was initially shattered.
She searched the world for solutions to ‘fix’ her son and in the process discovered the perfection in the un-fixed, the beauty in “what is” and the gift within each challenge.
She is a proud mother of 4, mentor, award-winning author and international speaker.
