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Every story in this book is true and was the result of my work with patients in my office for forty years or with participants at an Opening the Heart workshop, which I have led for thirty-six years. The Heart workshop originally started in 1976 at a place called Spring Hill in Ashby, Massachusetts, by Dr. Robert Gass. When Spring Hill closed its doors in 1998, the workshop continued, primarily at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York, and at Kripalu Institute for Yoga and Health in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The stories run the gamut of the real-life continuum, from tragedy and heartbreak to resilience and humor. But each story was chosen because it relit a flame inside me that yearns to become a more loving being on this tiny, crowded, hurting planet. So hopefully, that speaks to the "stories" part of the book title. What about the "mindful connection" part? Mindfulness has come to play a clear and increasingly important part of who I am and what I do for as long as I can remember. Mindfulness is the ability to stay with the breath in the present moment. This ability, I know, is critically important in being able to make conscious, loving choices rather than reactive ones. The reactive choices inevitably lead to more suffering. When we can make these more mindful choices, we have a better chance of staying in loving connection with others. And that, I believe, is what this whole "purpose of life" thing is really all about. My hope is that in reading the stories, you may not just be moved but, perhaps, open to a new possibility of becoming a more loving soul before your last breath goes out.
