Puja A. J. Thomson is an Interfaith healer, teacher, counselor, and the Director of ROOTS & WINGS for over thirty years. She believes that we must carry forward the best of our roots (ethnic, cultural, national, religious or spiritual) and take wing to develop the compassionate strength to create a diverse, inclusive, and sustainable future.She received her formal education in Scotland in the fields of education, group and community work, and religious education. After participating in the Cleveland International Program, she returned to UK to become a Gulbenkian Fellow at the National Institute for Social Work Training in London. She then taught social work and community work in experimental programs at Moray House College and the University of Edinburgh. Puja returned to the US on marriage and subsequently studied for over 15 years with internationally renowned healer, Rev. Rosalyn L. Bruyere. She was ordained as a Minister of Natural Healing in the Healing Light Center Church, which honors all pathways to the Divine and is a registered New York Clergy person. Puja is a resident of New Paltz in New York's Mid-Hudson Valley and an active presence in many community groups, offering workshops that affirm the power people have to create positive change in their lives. For three decades, she has been designing spiritual ceremonies for all life's transitions, including weddings and memorials, in her hallmark style of warmth, respect, and inclusivity.