The Legacy of Louise Hay

I was in my twenties when I wandered over to a table that was not like all the rest at a jewelry and gem show in White Plains, New York.

I was at the show to look at shiny baubles and ogle things I could not possibly afford but reveled in the beauty of nonetheless.

The table I wandered to had crystals and a standalone, circular book rack that spun.

I didn’t know anything about crystals and their supposed energetic properties, but I was an avid reader, drawn to that rack like the proverbial moth to a flame. They were the only books in the entire enormous venue.

I didn’t so much peruse all the titles as I was drawn to one and only one. Drawn like it was a magnet, ensuring my hand grabbed onto it and wouldn’t even consider going for any other book.

The book I picked up was called You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay. And to this day, the peculiarity of that purchase remains with me, both as a weird occurrence and as a pivotal moment that I’m certain was more than happenstance.

I could not have known how it would change me, open me up, or the path it would lead me on as my life progressed. I did not know Louise Hay or what made her qualified to tell me how to heal my life.

I’ll be honest with you, there was a lot I could not grasp or wasn’t sure I bought into fully on my first reading of that book.

Could I really heal my life? Did it really matter what I said to myself, aloud or in silence? Did my internal conversations really impact my physical health? Could I ever really fully believe that a) all is well, and b) I love myself? Could I ever truly release old hurts and quit living in constant fear of every worst possible case scenario?

Nothing could have been farther from where I stood when my hand reached for that book.

It took everything I had been taught and told up until that point and tossed it on its head. And it led me to other books, other authors, and other teachings like A Course in Miracles.

I bought copies of You Can Heal Your Life for everyone I knew. And I watched as her publishing company, Hay House, grew from a small one to the largest of its kind in the world, because there was a genuine need for its message.

I could never have foreseen that nearly thirty years later, my work as a singer/songwriter and as an author would be about exactly the kind of things Louise brought to the forefront with Hay House.

When news of her death reached me this morning, I was working on my book, which will be published through a division of Hay House.

I never had the chance to know Louise Hay personally or to thank her, on behalf of myself or the millions that she impacted.

I know that the legacy she leaves is one of a healthier and happier humanity for her having been here. I don’t know how many people one can genuinely say that of in life.

And I hope that whatever I put out in the world carries with it the imprint of her message of healing.

Godspeed, Louise Hay…and eternal blessings.