A Mother's Point of View
By Ariel Wolfe

Well-- there I was with my life neatly structured and my psychotherapy practice allowing me to support myself, yet have lots of private time for my own spiritual practices and life. Now you KNOW that the MINUTE you think things are perfect and manageable, the Great Spirit shakes his belly, turns your world upside down, and says "okay Great Spiritual therapist, let's see how you handle this one"!
ELISABETH (Liz Dawn), my youngest daughter, CAME HOME! (I must admit she did so at my urging about an impending earthquake in Los Angeles).

My office became her bedroom, my computer and phones her lifeline to her L.A. world, and my shoulder a place to vent. (What good Jewish mother could resist this drama?).

The story of how Mishka Prodcutions evolved was told in our last newsletter and so I won't repeat in here.

My intention when this business became a business, was to assist in getting it started and organized and the just let Liz fly with it. Somewhere along the way that intention went down the tubes. It was obvious to both of us that we each had a niche to fill and that spirit intended for us both to be fully involved.

There Went My Nicely Structed Life!
Our paths are always conveniently "strewn" with the lessons we need to remember. And so mine was now "littered" with not only creating a working relationship with my daughter, but also cleaning up our Mother-Daughter relationship.

One of the first things I had to learn was to honor my daughter's feelings and intuitions. Liz was always able to express her feelings instantly and demand that you meet her at that level. That was not easy for me-I'm a thinker, a philosopher if you will. I see and feel things on a more global level, but if we were to work together on a daily basis, I needed to meet her on that expressive level just as she had to learn to see things from another point of view.

It also became apparent that having 3 ex-husbands had also played havoc with Liz's emotions and her attitude toward me. So we spent a lot of time working through those issues and letting go of the past.
You realize, of course, that all this time we were building a business together. (OY VEY).

There were and still are issues that we continue to work on together. The most important element in all of this is that Elisabeth never doubted that I loved her with all my heart, and I never doubted that she loved me. So all of the ups and downs, yelling and screaming (yes, there was that too) was done in LOVE. And where love exists Harmony and Balance follow.

This is a journey I take with much gratitude and joy, for my child and I have a relationship that is solid, honest, guided by Spirit, and constantly growing. What more could a mother ask for?