Last year, author and Omega Institute co-founder Elizabeth Lesser learned that her sister Maggie's rare cancer had returned after six years in remission. A bone marrow transplant was Maggie's only hope – and, thankfully, Elizabeth was a match. But before they began the procedure, Elizabeth wanted to clear the air and address some of the prickly sisterly issues between the two to fully ensure that they were ready for the journey.
With the help of a therapist, Elizabeth and Maggie healed old wounds, clearing up the misconceptions they'd each formed over the years. As Elizabeth tells Oprah in an interview for "Super Soul Sunday," the process was a transformative experience that allowed her to uncover something miraculous.
"What I went through with Maggie in cleaning up our relationship and getting rid of the stories, I felt this sense of, 'I want to do this in my life as much as I can with everyone,'" Elizabeth says. "I don't want to live in the storyline anymore."
What was important, Elizabeth realized, wasn't these "storylines" or what we tell ourselves about our purpose. "It's important who we are with each other. What we say. How we show up," she insists.
The beauty, Elizabeth says, is that you don't have to wait for a particularly profound hardship or even look very far to have this kind of life-changing experience. "Don't wait. There are relationships waiting to be healed in the person in the cubicle right next to you. In your own backyard. In your place of work," Elizabeth says. "Stories that need to be unraveled. And if we all do that in our backyard, in our office, in our families, have the difficult conversations, miracles happen."
Elizabeth Lesser's full interview airs on "Super Soul Sunday" this Sunday, April 27, at 11 a.m. ET on OWN, during which it also streams live on Oprah.com and Facebook.com/supersoulsunday.