Monica Stoker Counseling Services

12/18/2023

9 years ago I was finally able to fulfill a heartfelt dream of starting my own counseling practice. I am humbled by the stories I have heard and lives I have walked alongside. I first felt God’s nudging toward a career in counseling over a decade before becoming a therapist in 2008. It took time, along with family support and faith, to finally reach this milestone. My heart is so grateful and happy. Thank you for your support and encouragement.

10/24/2023

Why Not Me? By Steve Maraboli

Today, many will awaken with a fresh sense of inspiration. Why not you?

Today, many will open their eyes to the beauty that surrounds them. Why not you?

Today, many will choose to leave the ghost of yesterday behind and seize the immeasurable power of today. Why not you?

Today, many will break through the barriers of the past by looking at the blessings of the present. Why not you?

Today, for many the burden of self doubt and insecurity will be lifted by the security and confidence of empowerment. Why not you?

Today, many will rise above their believed limitations and make contact with their powerful innate strength. Why not you?

Today, many will choose to live in such a manner that they will be a positive role model for their children. Why not you?

Today, many will choose to free themselves from the personal imprisonment of their bad habits. Why not you?

Today, many will choose to live free of conditions and rules governing their own happiness. Why not you?

Today, many will find abundance in simplicity. Why not you?

Today, many will be confronted by difficult moral choices and they will choose to do what is right instead of what is beneficial. Why not you?

Today, many will decide to no longer sit back with a victim mentality, but to take charge of their lives and make positive changes. Why not you?

Today, many will take the action necessary to make a difference. Why not you?

Today, many will make the commitment to be a better mother, father, son, daughter, student, teacher, worker, boss, brother, sister, and so much more. Why not you?

Today is a new day!
Many will seize this day.
Many will live it to the fullest.
Why not you?

(Steve Maraboli)

11/29/2022

“Joy may be made by hard-won, practiced achievement as much as by an unlooked for, passing act of grace arrived out of nowhere; ........joy is the act of giving ourselves away before we need to or are asked to; JOY IS PRACTICED GENEROSITY. “

David Whyte’s "Consolation".

09/23/2022

12/02/2021

Into the Belly of Meditation
~~from You Were Never Broken, Jeff Foster

You are weary, friend.
Sit.
You are thirsty.
Here. Drink.

You are hungry. Here. Take this.
A piece of bread.
A small bowl of soup.
See how God has taken form!
It is all I have but it will keep you alive.

I will light a fire that will never go out.
A sacred flame. Unconditional in it's burning.
To illuminate us in the darkness.

Oh. I see you are wounded.
Bruised. Bleeding.
Exhausted from the world.
You have suffered much, I know.

Come.
Take off these dirty rags.
Don't worry. It's safe.
There is strength in your nakedness.

Here. Wash.
Rub this medicine onto your wounds.

Put on these robes, they are clean and dry.
Lie down. Close your eyes.
I will watch over us tonight.

Listen. You have not failed.
I see new life breaking through.
I see birth. An insurrection.
The sharp edge of hope.

I have no teaching for you.
No wise words.

I only want you to trust what you are going through.
To bring this fire inside of you.
Until the end.

I have known this pain. Yes.
This courage to keep moving. Yes.
This courage to rest, too.
The sacrifice of the known world.

Friend.
Drop into the belly of meditation now.
The place you were always seeking.
The vast silence of the Earth’s core which is your own core.
Breathing into the gut now.
The throat. The chest.
Irradiating the nervous system with unspeakable tenderness.
Flooding the body with soft, warm light.
Drenching the human form with divine love.
And sleep.
And sleep.

I may not be here when you wake.
We may not meet again in form.

Yet I leave you with all you need.
Food. Water. A bed.
A chance to rest.
A touch of kindness.

And your unbreakable self.

09/29/2021

This writing, from Yung Pueblo, spoke to me today. What are you willing to let go of?

"Letting go does not mean you have give up, and it does not mean you no longer care,
It just means that you are releasing the attachments of the past that get in the way of your happiness and mental clarity,
letting go is the unbinding and disentangling of old behavior patterns that pull you into unnecessary mental tension and worry.
When you can be okay with things not having gone a certain way, life begins again. Making peace with the past opens you up to love and adventure and allows you to apply the lessons yo have learned with a new calmness."

09/25/2021

“Do the kind of things that come from the heart, When you do, you won't be dissatisfied, you won't be envious, you won't be longing for somebody else's things. On the contrary, you'll be overhelmed with what comes back.”
Morrie Schwartz

Christian Schloe

08/19/2021

everyone can benefit from self-healing;
even those who have not
experienced serious trauma
have at one point or another
felt the sting of heavy emotions

the mind feels these moments sharply
and they tend to ripple outward
impacting how we think, feel, and act

though we may learn to cope with mental tension
and the unexpected changes that cause turmoil

by taking a deeper look inward
we may be able to mend old hurt
and release old pain

by taking a deeper look inward we may gain the courage to evolve

into greater mental clarity
into greater happiness
into greater patience
into greater honesty
into greater love

~yung pueblo

03/08/2021