The Law of Compensation - How To Understand & Use It For Better Good!

The Law of Compensation - How To Understand & Use It For Better Good!
What do I mean by no dispensation from the Law of
Compensation? Firstly I need to outline the meaning of
COMPENSATION. I'm not using it in the context of 'salary'
or 'benefit package,' but rather 'what constitutes, or is
seen as, an equivalent; so what I mean here is if something
is good in one area, there is an equal area that isn't as
good. Please try and follow me on this, as the law of
compensation is a law that can be tricky to understand, but
essential that you grasp it's meaning.

This is how the English Metaphysical poet Francis Quarles
(1592 ~ 1644) describes the law of compensation: "As there
is no worldly gain without some loss, so there is no
worldly loss without some gain. If thou hast lost thy
wealth, thou hast lost some trouble with it. If thou art
degraded from thy honor, thou art likewise freed from the
stroke of envy. If sickness hast blurred thy beauty, it
hath delivered thee from pride. Set the allowance against
the loss and thou shalt find no loss great."

If we translate the above, it could be seen that one man is
rich but unhappy and another is poor, yet content. One
woman is unbelievably successful but dies young; another
isn't as successful but reaches old age. Or, a wealthy man
can afford the finest cuisine but finds it difficult to
digest while a poor man has a great appetite and fantastic
health. Or, someone is extremely rich monetarily, but time
poor so lives a lonely desolate life on their own. The
examples are endless, but I hope you're beginning to get an
idea of the meaning around the law of compensation.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 ~ 1882) explains compensation in
clear terms: "For everything you have missed, you have
gained something else; and for everything you gain, you
lose something else." Again, in his journal dated January
8, 1826, he writes, "The whole of what we know is a system
of compensations. Every defect in one manner is made up in
another. Every suffering is rewarded; every sacrifice is
made up; every debt is paid."

The title of this article, then, means there is no
exemption, no exception, or no escape from this universal
law. We cannot have successes without failures or hardships
without gains. For every gain, there is a loss. We lose the
wood to gain fire and heat. We lose the heat to cook the
food. We lose the food to nourish our body, and so it goes.
This law of nature is about balance, harmony, and
equilibrium. It is similar to the Law of Conservation of
Energy in science. (Energy may neither be created nor
destroyed and the sum of all energy remains constant.)

Another aspect of the Law of Compensation is we will reap
what we sow. Isn't it true that if I plant tomatoes, I'll
reap tomatoes, and if I plant weeds, I'll reap weeds? So,
it should come as no surprise that if I plant seeds of
love, I will be loved, and if I plant acts of kindness,
others will treat me kindly. But if all I sow is anger, all
I reap will be hostility. When we practice the Golden Rule
by treating our neighbors as we wish to be treated, we live
in harmony with this principle and will reap its benefits.
Or, as Ralph Waldo Emerson put it, "It is one of the most
beautiful compensations in life that no man can sincerely
try to help another without helping himself."

Another term to describe reaping what we sow is 'karma.' In
Sanskrit, karma means action or deed. In the spiritual
sense, it means both our actions and the consequences that
flow from them. Those who believe in karma believe that
their fate is governed by the choices they make. The
happiness they experience or the suffering they undergo is
a result of how they use their free will. So, it's just
another way to describe how we reap what we sow.

Yet another term used to describe the same thing is The Law
of Action and Reaction. That is, for every force, there is
a counter force. The greater we stretch a rubber band, the
greater its snapback. The more I scowl at you, the angrier
you will become; the more you smile at me, the more pleased
I will become. We could also express this idea by calling
it the Law of Cause and Effect, or just by saying that
virtue is its own reward and wrongdoing causes suffering.

The Law of Compensation, or sowing what we reap, is not
about God punishing the wicked and rewarding the holy, but
simply a law of natural universal energy. If we fall into a
fire, we are burned not because we're evil, but because of
the heat of the flames. So, it is wise to become familiar
with the laws of nature to avoid unnecessary pain and
unhappiness.

Once we understand for every gain there is a loss, we can
free ourselves from envy and live contentedly. Blessed are
the contented, for they are never poor. Woe unto the
discontented, for they are never rich. Blessed is she who
has little and wants less, for she is richer than he who
has much and wants more. Blessed, too, is he who realizes
that a little is a great deal when it is enough. And, as
Socrates (469 ~ 399 BC) taught, "He is the richest who is
content with the least."

There is a time for contentment and a time for
discontentment. When we use discontent to raise ourselves
to a higher level, we are living in line with the Law of
Compensation. For at such a time, we realize that there is
no gain without loss, or no gain without pain. We
understand that our success depends not on what we take up,
but what we give up. So, we willingly sacrifice time and
comfort to reach our goal. And if we experience a temporary
setback, we're not discouraged because we understand that
hidden in our problems are blessings waiting to be
discovered. In the same way, when we are pounded by
adversity, we find solace in the Law of Compensation,
looking forward to the benefits that await us.

Also, we don't make the mistake of comparing our lives with
those of others. For although their gains are clearly
visible, their loses are hidden from view. Neither do we
allow our imagination to exaggerate the extent of our
losses or others' gains. We also keep our balance by
remembering that all is relative. After all, bad is never
good, until worse happens.

----------------------------------------------------
Adam Price is an online holistic author & coach on the laws
of the universe for life & business. Learn how tap into the
powerful laws of the universe in your life by visiting:
http://www.Law-Of-Attraction-And-Success.com

How To Magnify Your Results by Using The Law of Cause & Effect To Your Advantage!

How To Magnify Your Results by Using The Law of Cause & Effect To Your Advantage!
The law of cause and effect basically states that for every
action, there needs to be an equal and opposite reaction.
Sometimes the reaction isn't the opposite, it's an
amplified version of the original action, whether the
original action is positive or negative.

An example of cause and effect could be where two people
are in an argument, and one reacts to the other with more
aggression, and this escalates to the point of fighting and
even striking at each other. This type of behavior is cause
and effect in action, but in a negative or destructive
circumstance.

This could have easily been the opposite, where the
aggressor was responded with love or neutral and pressure
diffusing response. This could cause the aggressor to then
calm down and see there is really no threat to them, so
they don't need to act angrily any longer.

The above is otherwise known as "karma" and every action we
make, is either in alignment with the law of cause and
effect or out of alignment with it.

If we decide to live our lives in a way that we do right,
be kind and spread love to others then we'll essentially
receive it back. However if on the other hand we do wrong
by others, it will come back to us either in the physical
manifestation or via the "karmic debt" of the spirit.

There is no way to cheat the law of cause and effect, think
of it as an invisible eye that records and takes notes on
all your actions, thoughts and feelings and repays you
accordingly.

So how do we deepen this principal so that the many
outcomes in our life are positive rather than what we're
not after?

The answer is simple, yet difficult to implement, but we
should strive to live by this law none the less.

To have what you want in life you need to become it!

Bet you weren't expecting that answer were you? And I'm not
saying that if you want more money you need to magically
morph into the form, shape and smell of money.

But rather, you need to look at what your goal means to
you, and then look at someone who has what you want. They
may or may not be role model people, but none the less they
have achieved the goal you're after.

If they are nice people, you might decide to hang around
them and learn the lessons of their success and then strive
to implement their qualities into your life, but at the
same time "please" don't lose your own personality or good
qualities.

It's more than likely that if these people (even
unknowingly, understand the law of cause and effect, yet
they could call it something entirely different) they'll
want to help you, because they were once helped themselves
and know it's their karmic duty to repay that debt.

And if you cannot mix with the person that has the goal and
success that you're after, because they aren't a nice style
of person. I would suggest, under stealth, try and study
that persons qualities, you're going to need to be very
objective and take your ego out of play to do this, becuase
it will be telling you "don't worry this ain't worth it"
but believe me it is. There's nothing like studying success
to succeed yourself.

The beautiful thing is, as you look and study the person
and trying to distill the essence of their success, you
might just end up helping them far more than you can
imagine. Now this will work in your favour as far as the
law of cause and effect goes, as it knows no good or bad,
it's based purely on energy and repays the same energy in
kind.

So if per chance you can interact with the person your
studying and somehow impact them in a positive way, it
could help change their outlook on life for themselves and
that will in turn alter their balance (hopefully for the
better). As you may notice as you study some highly
successful people, who have succeeded "at any expense" are
often very unbalanced in other areas of their lives, it
might not be apparent to you, but you can bet your bottom
dollar they have some form of imbalance and that's our
opportunity to put the law of cause and effect into play.

If we shine our positive light on these people, they will
be affected and so will we, it works beautifully all round.

When you look upon shining your positive love, light and
peace on everyone and forgiving everyone for everything,
you'll indeed be leveraging the amazing powers of cause and
effect.

I urge you to try it and then see what the outcome is, and
please share your experiences with me, I'd love to hear
from you.

----------------------------------------------------
Adam Price is a successful holistic life coach and author
around the laws of the universe. Learn how tap into the
powerful laws of the universe in your life by visiting:
http://www.Law-Of-Attraction-And-Success.com

I believe in angels ' and fairies and mermaids

I believe in angels ' and fairies and mermaids
Have you ever seen a real fairy? Or a giant, or a dwarf,
or a troll, or a mermaid, or an angel? No? Then that
means they do not exist, right?

If you have never been to Africa, would you be able to
identify a giant African elephant, or a giraffe, or a male
lion with a huge mane, or a black mamba? Or if you have
never been to Europe, would you be able to identify the
Eiffel Tower, Windsor Castle, the leaning tower of Pisa?
If you have never been to Egypt, would you recognize the
pyramids or the sphinx?

Of course, you say. There are photographs of them on the
internet, or you know people that have been to those places
and returned to show the photographs and tell the story.
Books have been written about them, and therefore they must
be real.

But the same rule does not apply to fairies or trolls or
mermaids or angels, right? We all know that these things
do not really exist. And we all know that people are
giants or dwarfs because of their genetic disposition or
because of particular glands that malfunction. That means
if some people can see angels and trolls and fairies but we
cannot see them, there is something wrong with those
people. If other people can describe giraffes and the
Eiffel Tower just from a picture where we cannot, because
we have never seen them, then that is OK. Does that make
sense?

Let's look at this from a different angle. We know that
our thoughts create images, and these images then
materialize. Am I saying that we just imagine things like
angels or fairies? In a way yes, but bear with me. We
first imagine everything on this earth, from the chair that
you sit on to the PC or laptop that you are reading this on
to the food that you eat and the clothes that you wear.
None of these things just appear from thin air. They are
all first just an image, or a figment of our imagination,
and then the image materializes. Of course we contribute
to this materialization, because we use tools to make
things. But where did the tools come from? Exactly.
Somebody first imagines them, and then made them.

But if we can imagine things and then make them, where do
we get the images from? From our minds? Yes and no.

There is a world that is identical to ours in another
dimension. We become aware of that world by means of our
imagination. That is why imagination is a doorway to a
different dimension. That world is where all our ideas and
inspirations come from. The same world contains the ideas
of geniuses and murderers. We choose what we take from
that world, and we imagine all of these things (i.e. we
create images of them) and then the images materialize.

So do mermaids really exist? How about dwarves? And can
the story of David and Goliath be based on a real giant?
Why is it that all fairies and angels have wings? Is it at
all possible that people have actually seen these things,
as real as you see your breakfast spoon?

Have you seen that lovely red mushroom with the white spots
that appears in the drawings that go with fairy tales?
Have you ever seen such a mushroom for real? The
scientific name of that mushroom is Amanita Muscaria. They
are also known as magic mushroom because of their
hallucinogenic-type effects ' the same effects are induced
by LSD. They grow in the northern hemisphere, and have
been used for many years by shamans to induce an altered
state of consciousness. Because you have never seen them
for real, does not mean that they do not exist.

Some people believe in angels because they are mentioned in
the Bible, but they do not believe that the angels actually
exist for real. They laugh and wonder about the sanity of
the people that can see and talk to angels, but it is OK
for them to believe that there are churches with round tops
in Moscow, even though they have never seen them.

Many children believe that they can see fairies, and it is
much more than a belief ' for them it is real. For their
parents it is just a child's active imagination, and they
regard it as part of their parental duties to get the child
to acknowledge that pictures of fairies are just that '
pictures of some fancy figment of someone's imagination.

Because we deny our own truths with small things like the
existence of fairies, we also deny larger truths such as
inspirations, ideas and flashes of our own futures that
come from the same sources. We deny ourselves a richness
of life that is there for us to enjoy at all times, if we
are willing to stretch the boundaries of our truths.

----------------------------------------------------
Elsabe Smit hereby grants a NON-EXCLUSIVE license to any
and all persons and entities to copy and reprint any
article she posts as long as the article is left IN-TACT
and UNALTERED and proper credit is given to her as Author.
Elsabe Smit is the author of the blog <A
HREF="http://www.mypurpleblog.com">Spiritual
interpretations of everyday life</a>

The Law of Correspondence - Your Tool To Keep Your Thoughts Consistent With Your Life's Outcomes!

The Law of Correspondence - Your Tool To Keep Your Thoughts Consistent With Your Life's Outcomes!
The law of correspondence is a law that helps us relate and
reflect upon, what we think about and focus on in our mind,
and how it relates and overflows directly into our world we
live in. Because our dominant thoughts within, are
manifested into our world externally.

With the above in mind, we can begin to grasp why our lives
and the lives of others are the way they are. Most people's
success or failure in life is due to their outlook on life
(the internal state of being), which controls and manifests
the external way of being.

One of the world's greatest personal development teachers
"Brian Tracy," has referred to the law of correspondence as
the "mental equivalent." He states that, "your greatest
responsibility in life is to create within yourself the
mental equivenlent of what you want to experience on the
outside."

So you really need to create what it is you want on the
inside first, then double it with a strong intent of moving
it into your physical world, if you cannot see the outcome
in your own mind first, then the chances are it won't
happen for you in the physical realm either.

The best way to imagine this is, if your mind and thoughts
were a big projector. And every thought you had, instantly
illuminated in reality as your circumstances, with you in
them. So in knowing this and how our thoughts and attitudes
correspond to our level of success, we can begin thinking
in a more balanced way, so that we balance our lives
manifestations. It works like one big circle of thought and
action, what you focus on, shall come to pass.

You might be questioning this as you read this, because
"you know" that their are certain people or scenarios in
your life that are the cause of your outcomes. But if you
take them out of the picture for a moment, and project back
before you know them you chose to bring them into your life
in the first place by some form of thought in your own mind
that manifested them in.

And once they come into your life, you wish they'd do
things differently and change themselves, so that you could
have peace, but it doesn't work that way, the only way you
can change them is by first changing yourself, by changing
your thoughts. You're the only person in this world who can
control the way you think, and you need to take charge of
your thoughts, so that all other areas of your life begin
to mesh with those thoughts. If you only focus on the
things in your life that you really do want, you'll have
the power of manifesting your destiny and be a
self-fulfilled success.

So some instant actions you can do to begin creating a
different outcome in your life could be these:

1. Begin to meditate and reflect on how your thoughts are
affecting your life

2. Look at the areas of your life that aren't the way you
would like and begin asking yourself, "how was I
responsible for that and how can I change it?"

3. Change your thought processes about scenarios, and only
see the positive outcomes of projects, relationships, your
health or whatever else you might be struggling with at the
moment (if you do this, it will happen, don't underestimate
the power of this).

4. Put positive intent behind every action you do (when
couple with the above will bring about some very fast
changes).

Now go out there and give the law of correspondence a go,
and here's your first lesson, believe in your own mind that
by using this "universal law" it will create exactly what
you want from this point forward, and don't sway from that
thought...

Let me know what happens.

----------------------------------------------------
Adam Price is a holistic success author on the laws of the
universe for life & business. Learn how tap into the
powerful laws of the universe in your life by visiting:
http://www.Law-Of-Attraction-And-Success.com

Cremation: Religion, Faith, Culture and Costs

Cremation: Religion, Faith, Culture and Costs
Cremation is when a non living body is reduced to ashes by
burning in a crematory fire or crematorium furnace. The
remains of the fire are often placed in urns where they are
then buried, held at memorial sites, kept by loved ones, or
sometimes hold wishes by the person that has passed on. A
common wish is to be spread out over the Oceans or
something similar. Being cremated is a very common act
with other popular methods such as casket funerals.

Ancient evidence has placed cremation back to at least
26,000 years ago. It is likely common that the practice
took place prior to this point in time but evidence would
have likely been destroyed or lost. Throughout history
different cultures have both embraced and prohibited the
use of cremation.

Different religions and cultures often depict what one is
able to request done with their remains. Depending on how
strict someone follows their religion will set forth if the
remains must be buried, kept, or spread at will. A common
example of this is Roman Catholicism requires a follower to
bury or entomb the remains which generally would require an
urn to properly follow. Other religions and cultures have
far more complex rules to follow so this should be an
important step in your research based on your faith.

Economically speaking, cremation can also be far less
expensive to be preformed that a traditional casket burial.
Although it is commonly not the important topic at a
funeral, the cost burden on those paying for it can be
unaffordable at times. If a body is cremated without a
coffin and the not buried it can save thousands of dollars
if it was done otherwise. Urns to place the remains in can
even be found right here on the internet at a great
discount from prices held within funeral homes.

There is also many other reasons people choose cremation
over a traditional burial. The ability to become
incinerated and become one with the earth is commonly more
appealing than decomposing slowly within a small casket.
Environmentally speaking cremation is also better for the
earth in many ways. The embalming fluids, caskets, and
other means used in traditional burials contaminate the
ground water and the ground itself. Pollution aside,
common burials require a large amount of space which is
becoming more scarce and expensive in largely populated
areas. These are all things to consider when choosing a
proper funeral.

----------------------------------------------------
Purchase wholesale Cremation Urns at
http://stores.ebay.com/COLONIAL-MEMORIAL-URNS . Article
written and distributed by Steve Cancel at Secure Link -
http://www.slwebmarketing.com .

David & Goliath

David & Goliath
Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the
midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon
David from that day forward.... (1 Samuel 16:13, NKJV)

Now the Philistines gathered their armies together to
battle ...

And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines,
named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits {9
feet} and a span. He had a bronze helmet on his head, ... a
coat of mail, ... bronze armor on his legs and a bronze
javelin between his shoulders. (1 Samuel 17:1,4-6, NKJV)

And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from
him and were dreadfully afraid.

And Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against
this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and
he a man of war from his youth."

But David said to Saul, "... Your servant has killed both
lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be
like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the
living God.... The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of
the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me
from the hand of this Philistine." (1 Sam 17:24,33-37, NKJV)

Then [David] took his staff in his hand; and he chose for
himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in
a shepherd's bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling
was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.

So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a
stone, and ... David ran and stood over the Philistine,
took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed
him, and cut off his head with it.

And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead,
they fled. And David took the head of the Philistine and
brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.
(1 Samuel 17:40,50,51,54, NKJV)

Immediately after Samuel anointed David to be king, the
Holy Spirit came upon David. He had lived a life of faith
before he was anointed by Samuel, but he now had a new and
more powerful relationship with the Lord through the Holy
Spirit.

Shortly after his anointing, David came into the presence
of Goliath, the giant of Gath. The Israelites and
Philistine armies had arrayed themselves on opposing hills,
with a valley between the two. Since Goliath was a minister
of fear and intimidation, he continually displayed his
gleaming bronze armor and physical prowess before the
armies of Israel, all the time slandering the name of the
Lord God of Israel.

While the men of Israel were greatly intimidated by
Goliath, the Spirit of the Lord within David was outraged.
Whereas the men of Israel had focused on Goliath's
strength, his stature, and each and every detail of his
armor and weaponry, David focused on the Lord. The men of
Israel were gripped with fear because they saw their
limitations in regard to Goliath, while David was filled
with confidence, because he focused on the Lord's ability
to deliver him in each and every situation, no matter how
intimidating.

King Saul offered David his personal armor, but David could
barely move in it. Since he was trusting neither in
himself, his armor, nor his weaponry, David simply took the
weapons he was familiar with, and entered the valley
trusting the Lord.

Goliath was outraged to see a small boy coming from the
armies of Israel to face the mighty, valiant, and seasoned
warrior. The intimidator was humiliated. Goliath trusted
his own strength, but David trusted the far superior
strength of the Lord and prevailed with a shepherd's sling,
and three small stones taken from the stream at the bottom
of the valley.

So what does David teach us about faith? First, those who
focus on their problems will continually live in fear,
whereas those who focus on the Lord will live in faith.
Second, those who focus on themselves will be defeated,
while those who focus on the Lord will be victorious.

'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the
LORD of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6, NKJV)

----------------------------------------------------
Jon Straumfjord is the author of numerous articles about
the Seven Spirits of God and the God of the Bible. He is
also the creator of the website http://www.7-spirits.com ,
and is the author of the book "The Seven Spirits of God."

Samuel, the Faithful Prophet

Samuel, the Faithful Prophet
Now the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. And
the word of the LORD was rare in those days ... And ... the
LORD called Samuel. ...

Then the LORD said to Samuel: "Behold, ... I will perform
against Eli all that I have spoken ...

So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of
his words fall to the ground. And all Israel ... knew that
Samuel had been established as a prophet of the LORD. (1
Samuel 3:1-2,11-12,19-20, NKJV)

Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, "If
you return to the LORD with all your hearts, then put away
the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and
prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only; and
He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines." So
the children of Israel put away the Baals and the
Ashtoreths, and served the LORD only.

So they ... fasted that day, and said there,"We have sinned
against the LORD."...

So the children of Israel said to Samuel, "Do not cease to
cry out to the LORD our God for us, that He may save us
from the hand of the Philistines."

... Then Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the
LORD answered him.

So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come
anymore into the territory of Israel. And the hand of the
LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. (1
Samuel 7:3,4,6,8,9,13,15, NKJV)

... when Samuel was old ... he made his sons judges over
Israel.... But his sons did not walk in his ways ...

Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to
Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, "... Now make us a king
to judge us like all the nations."

But the thing displeased Samuel ... And the LORD said to
Samuel, "Heed the voice of the people in all that they say
to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have
rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. (1 Sam
8:1,3-7, NKJV)

Samuel (literally "Heard by God"), an Ephraimite (a
descendant of Joseph), the son of Elkanah and Hannah, was
miraculously conceived as the result of prayer (1 Samuel
1:1-20), and given to the Lord as a gift: he became the
Israelite slave of Eli, the High Priest (1 Samuel
1:21-2:11). Since Samuel was neither a Levite nor a priest,
he was forbidden from touching any of the holy things
within the tabernacle, the tabernacle itself, the altar in
front of the tabernacle, and even the curtains of the
courtyard around the tabernacle. He was basically relegated
to performing such menial tasks as carrying water, getting
wood for the fire, tanning hides, and taking out the
garbage, and yet, he performed his duties as unto the Lord.

Because of his faithfulness, the Lord called Samuel and
gave him a prophetic word against Eli, his master. He
reluctantly related the words of the Lord to the Eli, and
as a result of Samuel's faithfulness, the Lord established
him as a prophet in the eyes of all Israel. Years later,
Samuel was able to use his reputation to inspire a revival,
and restore Israel's relationship with the Lord. In
approval, the Lord subdued the Philistines at Samuel's
request and prevented them from warring against Israel all
the days of his life.

When Samuel was old, he tried to establish his sons as
judges over Israel, but the elders rejected them and
demanded a king. Even though Samuel justifiably felt
rejected, and even warned Israel about the consequences of
their request, Saul the son of Kish was made king over
Israel (1 Samuel 10:17-25).

So what lessons can we learn from Samuel? First, the Lord
is no respecter of rank: He considers the High Priest and
the slave alike. Second, the Lord highly regards the
faithful and enthusiastic execution of one's personal
ministry, no matter how menial the tasks may seem in the
eyes of the world. Third, faithfulness leads to greater
levels of anointing. Forth, the Lord will never abandon us,
even though we may be rejected by the very people who
benefit most from our ministry.

----------------------------------------------------
Jon Straumfjord is the author of numerous articles about
the Seven Spirits of God and the God of the Bible. He is
also the creator of the website http://www.7-spirits.com ,
and is the author of the book "The Seven Spirits of God."

Jephthah: a Conflicted Man of Valor

Jephthah: a Conflicted Man of Valor
Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, but
he was the son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Jephthah.
Gilead's wife bore sons; and when his wife's sons grew up,
they drove Jephthah out, and said to him, "You shall have
no inheritance in our father's house, for you are the son
of another woman." Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and
dwelt in the land of Tob; and worthless men banded together
with Jephthah and went out raiding with him.

It came to pass after a time that the people of Ammon made
war against Israel. And ... the elders of Gilead went to
get Jephthah from the land of Tob. Then they said to
Jephthah, "Come and be our commander, that we may fight
against the people of Ammon."

So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead,"Did you not hate
me, and expel me from my father's house? Why have you come
to me now when you are in distress?" (Judges 11:1-7, NKJV)

Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the
people made him head and commander over them ... (Judges
11:11, NKJV)

So Jephthah advanced toward the people of Ammon to fight
against them, and the LORD delivered them into his hands.
And he defeated them from Aroer as far as Minnith —
twenty cities — and to Abel Keramim, with a very
great slaughter. Thus the people of Ammon were subdued
before the children of Israel. (Judges 11:32-33, NKJV)

And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the
Gileadite died and was buried among the cities of Gilead.
(Judges 12:7, NKJV)

Jephthah was a warrior, and the son of one of his father's
concubines. Because he was also the firstborn son of
Gilead, he had some claim to the inheritance of Gilead, at
least until his half brothers drove him away. So Jephthah
went to live on the border between Israel, and Syria near
Damascus, on the outskirts of the territory of Gilead, and
began raiding among the towns, cities and territories of
the enemies of Israel. Even though it was beneath him to
either beg or seek charity, Jephthah had no trouble
pillaging the defenseless, and began leading a band of
marauders to terrorize the countryside.

Some time later, the Ammonites (the descendants of Lot's
youngest daughter) decided to invade Israel. Since
Jephthah had developed a reputation as the leader of a
military style band of marauders, the elders of the
province of Gilead sought him out to be the leader of their
army. Jephthah wasn't exactly impressed by the elders
seeking him out in their hour of need, especially after
driving them away a few years earlier. So Jephthah struck a
deal with the elders that would make him their leader if he
defeated the Ammonites.

Jephthah wisely began his confrontation with the Ammonites
by resorting to diplomacy. He recounted the history of the
encounters between Israel and the other nations of the area
when Israel entered and conquered the land of Canaan.
However the king of Ammon wasn't about to acquiesce so
easily. So Jephthah made a hasty and ill-conceived vow to
the Lord, in return for victory over the Ammonites.
Ammonites were defeated, at the cost Jephthah's daughter
life of perpetual virginity, and quite possibly her life as
well.

So what lessons can we glean from Jephthah about the nature
of faith? First, the Lord is no respecter of social status,
he equally considers the faith of both the King and the
vagabond. Second, the Lord hears those who sincerely call
out to him in faith. Third, the Lord is not impressed by
hastily-made, and ill-conceiver and poorly-considered vows
for the sake of manipulation, which frequently result in
painful losses for both the one who proclaiming the vow,
and those close to him/her.

----------------------------------------------------
Jon Straumfjord is the author of numerous articles about
the Seven Spirits of God and the God of the Bible. He is
also the creator of the website http://www.7-spirits.com ,
and is the author of the book "The Seven Spirits of God."

Samson: the Wayward Nazirite

Samson: the Wayward Nazirite
... Manoah's ... wife was barren and had no children. And
the Angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to
her, "... you shall conceive and bear a son. ... be careful
not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything
unclean. For ... you shall conceive and bear a son. And no
razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a
Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to
deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines." (Judges
13:2-5, NKJV)

So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and
offered it upon the rock to the LORD.... as the flame went
up toward heaven from the altar — the Angel of the
LORD ascended in the flame of the altar! When Manoah and
his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground.
(Judges 13:19-20, NKJV)

So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the
child grew, and the LORD blessed him. And the Spirit of the
LORD began to move upon him ... (Judges 13:24-25, NKJV)

So Delilah said to Samson, "Please tell me where your great
strength lies, and with what you may be bound to afflict
you." (Judges 16:6, NKJV)

Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and
brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze
fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison. However,
the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been
shaven. (Judges 16:21-22, NKJV)

... they called for Samson from the prison, and he
performed for them....

Then Samson called to the LORD, saying, "O Lord GOD,
remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once,
O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the
Philistines for my two eyes!" And Samson took hold of the
two middle pillars which supported the temple, and he
braced himself against them, one on his right and the other
on his left. ... he pushed with all his might, and the
temple fell on ... all the people who were in it. So the
dead that he killed at his death were more than he had
killed in his life. (Judges 16:25, 28-30, NKJV)

Samson's conception and birth was a result of divine
intervention on behalf of his godly parents. He was to be
a Nazirite (Numbers 6:1-21) from his birth, to refrain from
cutting his hair, from consuming alcoholic beverages, and
eating any ceremonially unclean foods. The Nazirite was to
refrain from consuming anything made from grapes, whether
wine, the juice, the grapes themselves, the seeds, or even
the skin of the grapes, or any other part of anything that
could possibly be obtained from a grape vine. He was also
to keep away from all dead bodies, even those of his
closest relatives. Every Nazirite was to constantly
maintain the highest degree of holiness before men and God.
However, probably the only one of these requirements that
Samson regularly observed was refraining from cutting his
hair, at least until it was involuntarily cut by the
Philistines after Delilah's betrayal. Certainly it would be
difficult to consider him a Nazirite, or even a genuine man
of faith, at least until the last few minutes of his life.

Samson had always known that the Lord was his true source
of strength, and was well aware of the Lord's requirements
on his life, even though he regularly failed to meet those
requirements. After a long life of prideful living, and
the physical and emotional humiliation he had suffered at
the hands of his enemies, Samson was finally willing to
humble himself and cry out to the Lord for help.

Since he was not living during the dispensation of grace,
he felt no compulsion to either seek or extend mercy to
others; his only desire was for revenge. Since Samson was
now moving in humility and faith, the Lord granted his
request and empowered him to take the lives of his enemies,
at the cost of his own life.

So what can Samson teach us about faith? The Lord will
gladly respond to a sincere and humble expression of faith,
even if it represents the final words of one who has lived
a life of continual conscious rebellion. Yes, the Lord
will hear every sincere cry of faith, no matter what kind
of person the individual was previously.

----------------------------------------------------
Jon Straumfjord is the author of numerous articles about
the Seven Spirits of God and the God of the Bible. He is
also the creator of the website http://www.7-spirits.com ,
and is the author of the book "The Seven Spirits of God."

Remote Viewing Secrets Revealed

Remote Viewing Secrets Revealed
It was about 8pm on a cool evening in January. During a
class being held at my office, Linda, a student of mine,
was continuing a remote viewing exercise describing the
living room of her partner. "I see tall windows letting in
much light, behind the windows I see a garden filled with
flowers and foliage. Your front entrance is probably
surrounded by glass because I see a lot of light in your
foyer, with a large piece of artwork opposite the entrance
door. Back in your living room; your couch appears to be a
curving piece of furniture—"

Finally Marissa could not stand it anymore. "Yes, that is
the couch in my living room. It does curve. And
everything else you saw is almost perfectly correct! How
did you do that?"

This is not magic. It is not a mystical gift only given to
a few. This is a real skill, which can be developed over
time.

Quantum science theorizes how "intuitive knowing" through
non-physical channels is possible. The famous physicist,
David Bohm, in his textbook, "The Undivided Universe,"
writes, "Each region of space-time contains information
about every other point in space-time." This suggests if
you were able to access a specific "region of space-time,"
you would have omniscient capabilities or be labeled an
"intuitive."

If it is possible to "view" something we do not have in
front of us, think of the value such "knowing" can have in
practical applications in our lives. A corporate executive
could use this skill to gain competitive advantage. You
could use it to find a valuable family heirloom. Certain
law enforcement agencies already use this capability to
find lost people or solve crimes. Albert Einstein used it
when he had the creative leap to the theory of relativity,
which he then spent many years proving mathematically.

This type of power is not limited to just knowing
something. The implications are infinite. They include
telepathy, clairvoyance, genius insight and mystical
experience.

Each individual has within the ability to see and know
beyond the five senses. This is an innate, but usually
dormant, capability. It takes life style changes as well
as expert training to get good at it. Here are a few ideas
to begin accessing this power.

1. Get dreamy. It is usually in highly relaxed mind states
that we begin to "see" beyond our senses. This is why we
may have a dream about a family, friend or a proven event
and then learn it was precognitive or telepathic. To do
this deliberately, ask yourself to find the answer to a
question before you go to bed at night. Keep a book and
pen at your bedside to give your subconscious the message
you are serious about finding the answer.

2. Relax. Even five minutes of clearing the mind will
help slow down your brain waves enough to access this
"zone." A good and simple way to do this is to find a set
time every day when you will not be disturbed, where you
can close your eyes and sit down. Focus your attention on
the back of your eyelids, attempting to "look" at them.
Each time a thought or idea barges into your mind and
carries you away, simply go back to focusing on your
eyelids.

3. Exercise. After the relaxation exercise above, hold a
picture in your hands face down, without looking at it.
Ask yourself to "view" what is on this picture. You will,
with practice, get very, very good at this and be amazed
with the powerful results.

This is a minute sampling of ways to develop your innate
ability to access information beyond direct physical
experience. However, more advanced applications of
"Intuitive Magic" show us we can begin to access the
universe's mind to create a reality of our choice more
powerfully than the "holo-deck" on "Star Trek."

----------------------------------------------------
Laura Bartolini Mendelsohn is an "Intuitive Magic" Coach, a
Five Star Rated Psychic with over 40 years experience. She
helps people achieve greatness through the magic of
intuition. As a result of working with her, clients go
from fearful and alone to enlightened and powerful. Begin
your adventure today by ordering your FREE copy of
"Intuitive Magic for Supernatural Success!" at
http://www.angelwisdomcoaching.com .

Do You Rely On Luck Or Fate?

Do You Rely On Luck Or Fate?
Do you believe in luck or in fate?

I believe in opportunities coming my way. I believe in God
bringing people and situations into my life because I have
prayed and am expecting those kinds of things to happen on
a regular basis. But do I believe in luck and fate? No.

You hear people say, "Boy, look what happened to him, he
sure is lucky." They think that if they were "that lucky"
then good things would happen to them too. So, then the
reason that good things don't come their way is simple.
They're just not lucky. Isn't that a lousy
rationalization? Not to mention, it takes no
responsibility for your life!

Other times you hear things like, "That was really
wonderful what happened to her; I'm sure that it was just
meant to be. It's fate, you know." But that is the same
rationale all over again using different words! So, people
conclude that reason things aren't going well for them is
because they just weren't meant to be. It's fate.

But what about accountability and responsibility for ones
own life?

Surprisingly, many people see being successful as a matter
of luck and fate. And that of course takes away any
accountability and responsibility. Others even put the
blame on God by saying, "Well if God wants me to be
successful then He will make it happen for me." So the
reason they're not successful is because God doesn't want
them to be? That contradicts scores of His promises
clearly recorded in the Bible.

I do believe in God helping because He promised He would.
He promised He would answer prayers, and He promised He
would help. So, the question is not, "Will He?" but
rather, "Are you ready?"

Now that may sound silly. But, many people miss
opportunities that are almost literally dropped in their
lap. Why? They miss them because they are not ready.

Instead of anticipating, expecting, looking forward to
something, knowing that there is something coming, they
just accept and settle for the way things are right now.
As they go through each day, their attitude is simply
trying to get through another one so that they can go home
and relax. That's not living, that is just existing!

Very few people prepare themselves for something bigger.
Their focus stays on the daily grind and all their
problems, but never on the possibilities. They won't read
books, they won't investigate new ideas, and they won't
talk to other people. They just stay in their little
world. And sad, but true, many, many opportunities pass
right by them.

I wrote an article over a year ago entitled, "Fate." In
it, I said the following: "The Creator gave each and every
one of us free will to choose. Each one of us can decide
what we want to believe and what we want to do. And, with
His help, there's really no limit to what we can
accomplish."

If anything is really "meant to be," it is that God wants
us successful and blessed with the life that we want to
live. He has lovingly provided all that we need. But, He
also gave us free will to choose.

If we want to, we can accept "fate," or, we can choose to
make our own life the way we want it to be by believing His
promises and acting on them.

You are in life today where you are because of what you
have believed and accepted as true. You can change your
circumstances by changing your thinking. You can choose to
focus on the things that you desire instead of settling for
the way things are now.

The only other choice is to accept fate. If you accept
fate, well then, good luck. You'll need it!

Instead of buying into the whole "luck and fate" fiasco,
why not expect good solid opportunities to come your way?
Believe and trust God to bring people and situations into
your life because you pray and because you are expecting
those kinds of things to happen to you on a regular basis.
Throw luck and fate out the window. Take responsibility
for your life and expect great things from God!

----------------------------------------------------
Listen to one of Michael A. Verdicchio's Pep Talks at
http://www.MikesPepTalks.com/christians2free.html
Michael has a free newsletter called, THE PEP LETTER, at
http://www.christianinspirationalgifts.com/pepletter.html .
Michael is a husband, father, minister, author, and
broadcaster. He has been the voice on numerous productions
over the years.

The Gift of Ho'oponopono

The Gift of Ho'oponopono
I learned a practice from a tradition called Ho 'oponopono
that you might be interested in. It's very simple, very
powerful, and easy to remember. You can go deep with it
rather quickly, bringing lightness and healing quite soon
to your heart and mind. One of the central exercises - you
could call it a personal discipline - one of the primary
gifts of Ho'oponopono, is a very effective forgiveness
exercise.

This simple exercise from Ho'oponopono (or "making right")
has five basic parts. First, bring to mind something
that's bothering you. It can be anything at all, a worry, a
physical pain, a sad memory, a friend, someone you're not
at peace with, anyone, anything at all.

Begin by saying to this worry, or to this person, "I love
you." You can say this out loud at first, but you can also
do the entire exercise silently, whispering inwardly, as if
the person is present to your inner voice, or even visually
present to the imagination if you like. Stay with this
until you feel the phrase settle in a bit, "I love you."

Then, to whatever comes up next, say, "I'm sorry." It
doesn't have to be specific, just say, "I'm sorry."

Then ask with an honest heart, "please forgive me." These
are very powerful words, "please forgive me..."

To complete the prayerful exercise, simply say, "thank you."

Express gratitude for the opportunity to heal, for this
opportunity to be released from the sadness, from the hurt,
the woundedness that life so often serves up, even in
completely innocent circumstances. It's also helpful to
understand that your gratitude extends to being thankful
for being allowed to release another, to make their healing
more likely, more sure. Gratitude for the privilege to help
another is an experience of our connectedness in creation.

This can be personalized, simply by using the person's
name, or maybe addressing for instance, a heartache or
headache that's bothering you. You can say, for instance:
"I love you, Jason," or "I love you, dear headache." "I
love you, my friend." This simple phrase takes on new
meaning when used for healing this way.

A beloved's name can be used throughout: "I love you,
Donna... I'm sorry, Donna... Please forgive me, Donna.
Thank you..." You can repeat the phrases, for as long as
you feel it's helping. We all carry more hidden and
seemingly insignificant complaints than we can remember or
address in the hustle and bustle of our lives.

I sometimes whisper these phrases as I'm going to sleep at
night. After I've repeated them with the people who come to
mind, I might notice the little aches and pains in my body.
Saying "I love you" to my knees, to my muscles, to my
heart, then expressing gratitude, this is a kind of self
healing and brings greater sensitivity to not only our own
bodies, but the physical experiences of others as well.

I like to consider the phrasings creatively on occasion,
especially since I'm sometimes unsure I'm being properly
respectful of another tradition, or if I'm not feeling
especially confident at the time.

For example, I might say to a teacher of Ho'oponopono - in
my imagination: "I love you teacher... I'm sorry I haven't
studied more... please forgive me for just jumping in and
trying this... I hope you don't hold this against me.
Please help me. I'm sorry. Thank you." I've felt an inner
freedom in my own embellishments this way, and a restful
permission to let go of all my grievances and misgivings.

It doesn't have to be a formal process, or formulaic, to
have effects, in my experience. This four phrase practice
is only one variation on an ancient Hawaiian healing
practice, a personal expression of one of the prayers for
healing taught in this tradition.

A close friend told me about this and I did some searching
on the web, once I learned how to spell it. It's been
taught for centuries on the islands of Hawaii, part of the
Huna religion, making relations right within the native
communities. One of its present living teachers, Dr.
Ihaleakala Hew Len has become known for his extraordinary
healing work with patients at a hospital for the criminally
insane, where patients previously written off as hopeless
experienced some unexplainably complete recoveries.

Ho'oponopono requires a sincere heart, and a willingness to
take 100% responsibility for all our judgments, all our
perceptions, all our experiences. Once you begin
experiencing the peace and graceful release this practice
brings, it easily becomes a touchstone in your spiritual
practice. You begin understanding that each of us is
responsible for all that we perceive, all that we imagine.
We are even responsible for those who seem never to
understand.

Another thing, once you start practicing this, you're
likely to meet others who have tried it. Within weeks of
learning a couple basic Ho'oponopono exercises, I met four
more people who have attended workshops or have been
practicing some variation themselves. There's something
about the simplicity and focused clarity this brings that
resonates naturally with others.

I mentioned doing this when going to sleep. It works great
for letting go of the day, for inviting restful thoughts
and pleasant dreams. It also has a calming effect when
driving, especially on the way to meetings where there may
be people you aren't yet comfortable with. On the drive,
simply imagine being there, meeting those you expect to be
there, while also offering the blessing silently to those
who you don't yet know. It helps clear expectations and
anxieties, and its much more likely you'll be in a space
that's welcoming and friendly when you arrive. Who can't
use a little more of that?

So I offer you this practice, imagining we are already good
friends. I'm clearly not an expert, yet I suspect the
teachers appreciate people knowing even the least little
bit about Ho'oponopono. The kind energy and love, the
forgiveness and gratitude considered this way offer a
sampling of the experience that when given an honest try
will very likely inspire more exploration.

This world can use as much healing as we can find.

----------------------------------------------------
Jess Freer has studied many alternative healing and
meditation approaches over the last twenty five years. He's
presently immersed in graduate studies focused on Spiritual
Psychology.
http://mypieceofthe-e-pie.com

He looks just like his father

He looks just like his father
Isn't it interesting that as soon as a baby is born, the
first thing we do without even thinking about it is to
identify physical traits in the baby that reminds us of
either parent?

Sometimes these physical traits are obvious, like
particularly shaped ears. However most of the time we only
see what we want to see. We all know the colour of a
new-born baby's eyes and hair is not permanent. Yet we
look at these physical traits and use them to make the
parents feel good about their creation. We have nearly
seventy muscles in our faces, and each one of us uses
different combinations at different times. But when faced
with a tiny baby that has been in this world only a few
hours, we actually imagine that we can see a likeness to a
parent in the way they use those unpractised muscles.

But then when we are faced with these beautiful creatures
of God, we are so in awe that any emotional reactions can
be forgiven.

When we look for the likeness to a parent, we intuitively
reflect our understanding that each child is a combination
of the father and mother. This is not just a combination
of sperm and an ovum that results in a new person. This is
a combination of the best and the worst of two souls.

We only experience this fact as the baby grows into a child
and adult and displays behaviour that we feel reflect back
to either parent. Where a child acts like a parent in a
way that is acceptable, we like to praise the child ' "a
chip off the old block". Where the child acts in an
unacceptable way, of course the child is wrong and needs to
be disciplined. We do not for a moment even consider that
the child is still a reflection of the same two parents.

Let's assume that everything our children do and say are in
fact a reflection of us as parents, like a mirror that the
child holds up to us. Where a child reflects behaviour and
emotions such as love and gratitude, we love that child
even more. Where the child reflects any emotion or
behaviour that we do not like, we reject the emotions or
behaviour of the child and try to shape them by means of
various types of punishment, ranging from physical
punishment to emotional withdrawal. Sometimes this is so
blatantly hypocritical, for example parents that smoke and
drink but are very upset about their teenage children that
do the same in imitation of their parents.

Other times the link to the parent is less obvious, because
our children also display our hidden fears and our dark
sides. For example, the child of an overly conservative
parent becomes sexually promiscuous. Or a rich parent who
became rich because of self-discipline and focused ambition
raises a child that has only one ambition, namely to live a
hedonistic life. Everyone is shocked, because the child
has been raised "properly" and the parent is "good".
Nobody realises that the parent needs to redress an
imbalance at soul level, and that the moment it is done,
both parent and child will be healed.

What if we do some introspection and identify the part of
us that we dislike or want to hide, rather than judge and
punish the child?

We often see our own childhoods as times where we suffered
deprivation of some kind, either physically or emotionally,
and we often go out of our way to ensure our children do
not have the same experiences. We do not understand how
our childhoods served the purpose of shaping us into the
people we have become. All we remember is what we like to
call deprivation, and the emotions like resentment that we
like to associate with it.

When our own children are born, we want to withhold similar
experiences from them, because we do not understand how
those experiences redressed an imbalance in us at soul
level. We then go out of our way to re-create the same
imbalance to the other extreme in our children without even
realising it. Then we add to this imbalance all those that
we have to address in ourselves, and we are disappointed in
our children when they show us what our dark side looks
like. Poor children!

When we reject the behaviour of a child, we reject a part
of ourselves that we regard as unacceptable or imperfect.
We in fact say that God created us as a reflection of
Divinity, except that God did not create our dark side. If
God did not create our dark side, then who did? Did we not
do that to ourselves, so that we have ourselves to blame?
If God did create our dark side, then it is perfect,
because God did not make a single mistake when creating
this universe.

The most effective way to change unacceptable behaviour in
your child is to acknowledge that behaviour or emotion in
yourself and make peace with it and accept it as part of
who you are. Then you can love that part of yourself as
well and make a conscious effort to either change your own
behaviour if your dark side is expressed in behaviour, or
change your beliefs about yourself if the behaviour of your
child is the opposite of the side that you normally display
to the world.

Our children look just like us in more ways than we
realise. We should thank God for providing them to us as
teachers.

----------------------------------------------------
Elsabe Smit hereby grants a NON-EXCLUSIVE license to any
and all persons and entities to copy and reprint any
article she posts as long as the article is left IN-TACT
and UNALTERED and proper credit is given to her as Author.
Elsabe Smit is the author of the blog <A
HREF="http://www.mypurpleblog.com">Spiritual
interpretations of everyday life</a> ]

Once when I was big

Once when I was big
Imagine when we were all still children. We were able to
play with paper dolls or wooden cars, and create realities
in which we were happy. We could do everything we wanted
and there were no limitations to our dreams ' except the
voice of a parent that interrupted for mundane things like
mealtimes and bath-times.

We were all princes and princesses who were rescued from
bad people, or doctors who healed people (and yes, even
doctors and nurses who had to satisfy the curiosity about
our own bodies), or firemen who did brave deeds.

As we grew older, the imagine games were toned down and we
moved into daydreaming. We still used the same
imagination, but we did not share it with the world. We
created an inner world that had enough space for all the
things we wanted to do and be and experience. We stopped
sharing our dreams with others, because after all they were
not "real" and we were expected to cope with "reality".

Over time we stopped dreaming. We stopped using our
imagination. We became parents and part of our role was to
teach children to distinguish between reality and
imagination. We would even get irritated at children that
had these unrealistic dreams and visions of a future that
could not be, because we know what is real and what is not.

Do we? The famous psychologist Carl Jung said "Who looks
outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens."

For me, imagination is a doorway to a different reality.
The real reality is a place where we can dream, where there
is no hurt or distractions, where we get inspiration and
ideas.

The illusion is the one that we live every day. The
illusion is the world with fears and limitations where we
choose to have feelings that can be described as negative.

Artists and entrepreneurs retain their imagination, and
they become adults who dream unashamedly, and then live
those dreams. We look at these people in awe and admire
their guts and talents. We cannot understand how they can
take such immense risks, and why they are so successful
even though they do not quite act like grown-ups.

Most people get on with life, and occasionally day-dream.
Then we pull ourselves back to "reality" because we know
those day-dreams are only dreams.

Yes, they are only dreams, if we choose to believe that.

However, if we understand that day-dreams are not a means
of escape from where we are, but rather a means of taking
us where our true selves are, we will spend much more time
daydreaming.

We need to be reminded that thoughts become words, and
words become actions. Daydreams are thoughts. Those
thoughts occur because they come from our souls. We can
choose to write them off or ignore them or suppress them,
but they have a habit of popping up again and again. Why?
Could it be that our daydreams reflect our true selves, and
that we like to put up such a fight against our true selves
that we refuse to daydream?

Using your imagination is not limited to daydreaming. We
have what we like to call brainwaves, thoughts that come
"out of the blue", flashed of inspiration, and what we like
to call crazy ideas. Sometimes we perceive these thoughts
as so outrageous that we discard them and get on with
"reality".

If we are brave enough to accept all our thoughts,
especially the more outrageous ones, and put aside our
fears and prejudices, we will be in a much better position
to embrace these gifts from another dimension and act on
them.

Yes, these thoughts and ideas will change our lives, and
change is often scary because it leaves us out of control,
but imagine we can live our dreams. Would that not be
wonderful?

Of course it will be. And the only way we can live our
dreams is to keep dreaming, in ever increasing detail,
until we are able to put those dreams into words, and then
see how the words become action, and how the action brings
the "reality" that we live closer to our dreams.

"What would people say if I live my dreams?" you ask. They
will probably initially say you are having a mid-life
crisis. Then they will say you are being irresponsible.
Then they will see how your world changes and they will
stop saying anything and just observe you from a distance.
Then they will ask carefully worded questions, and then
they will start to live their own dreams with abandon and
with a zest for life that they never had.

Do I want to live this reality? In my dreams!

----------------------------------------------------
Elsabe Smit hereby grants a NON-EXCLUSIVE license to any
and all persons and entities to copy and reprint any
article she posts as long as the article is left IN-TACT
and UNALTERED and proper credit is given to her as Author.
Elsabe Smit is the author of the blog <A
HREF="http://www.mypurpleblog.com">Spiritual
interpretations of everyday life</a> ]

Making Choices

Making Choices
Here in Phoenix, Arizona we like to go hiking and we have
numerous choices. There is South Mountain Park with its
miles of primary trails for horseback riding, hiking and
mountain biking. In the north part of the city is Piestawa
Peak with fantastic views as well as secluded valleys.

Camelback Mountain has sheer red sandstone cliffs with the
telltale "hump," and is a favorite for thousands each year,
including my son. For a nice family hike, Papago Park's
trails are generally much easier treks.

Those are just a few of the choices for hiking in this
beautiful part of the world. And, depending upon which
location a hiker chooses, a different set of circumstances
arise.

Life is like that. Every choice we make leads us to a
specific path and each path has its own unique set of
obstacles. Just because there are obstacles does not mean
that we made the wrong choice.

When faced with obstacles, many times people are quick to
conclude that they made the wrong choice. But, how can one
be so sure that the choice was wrong just because there are
obstacles?

No matter what trail you choose to hike in the Phoenix
area, there are going to be obstacles. How silly it would
be to move from trail to trail, saying, "That last trail
had some obstacles, so that was the wrong trail to climb."

Why be so quick to define one of your choices as a bad
choice or the wrong choice just because there are
obstacles? If a path in life without obstacles, challenges
or a learning curve exists, then please let me know!
Better yet, write a book about it! You'll be an overnight
success!

Whenever you decide to do something new, you then have to
accept and deal with the results of that choice. Some
people may think that they can just refuse to choose.
However, making no choice is a choice too, and those who
make no choice have to deal with the results of not
deciding.

God wants us to live, experience and enjoy the life He
designed for us! He also gave us free will to choose or to
decide. It's up to us to pick a trail and start hiking!

Once you choose a starting point, and head down a new path,
more choices will arise as you are presented with new and
different situations.

Some paths are fairly smooth while others can be a little
more difficult. But, don't jump to conclusions and define
them as bad choices just because they are a little more
difficult.

God has promised us that He will direct our path. As we
look to Him and ask Him for His help, He will do just that.
If it is indeed the wrong path that will end in disaster,
He will certainly direct us off that path. And, His
direction will not be vague and mysterious; it will be
clear and concise.

In the meantime, this is the path that we have chosen,
complete with its own set of obstacles and challenges, so
why not move ahead and excitement and anticipation, even
though it might not feel completely safe at the moment?

New choices may not always feel safe and comfortable. As
we move into different areas with the intention of
expanding our lives, a certain level of comfort may not be
there for a while. A few obstacles may crop up; we may
have a new learning curve; we may be on a path we've never
been on before. But it is all part of living life and
growing!

Some people always choose to play it safe; they just sit on
the couch and watch. They just want to be comfortable.
They really don't want to expose themselves to the
challenges or the obstacles that will come from choosing a
new path.

Perhaps they don't even realize that playing it safe is
also a choice, and with it, just like all other choices,
comes its own set of challenges and obstacles. Many people
who choose this course generally live a life of feeling
sorry for themselves and blaming every one else for all
their misery. They never admit that their own life is a
product of their own choices.

Others see life differently. They believe that God wants
us to live life to the fullest! They choose to expand.
Then, they learn to deal with their new choices. They
refuse to accept an obstacle as a sign that the choice was
wrong. They look to God for help and direction on their
new path.

Most importantly, they choose to let go of all the pressure
of their choices. They refuse to carry the pressure of
having to succeed just because they made a new choice.
They refuse to carry the pressure of trying to define their
new choice, whether it was good or bad, before it even has
any time to develop.

And, they are confident that should that path be the wrong
path, God will clearly help them and guide them to a new
and better path. They know that He will never overstep our
free will, but He has promised to direct our path.

They simply release all that pressure and are content with
the decisions and choices that they have made. They move
ahead and enjoy each day, regardless of the obstacles they
face. They have chosen to live life to its fullest!

----------------------------------------------------
Listen to one of Michael A. Verdicchio's Pep Talks at
http://www.MikesPepTalks.com/christians2free.html
Michael has a free newsletter called, THE PEP LETTER, at
http://www.christianinspirationalgifts.com/pepletter.html .
Michael is a husband, father, minister, author, and
broadcaster. He has been the voice on numerous productions
over the years.

Dream A Healing From Heaven

Dream A Healing From Heaven
Can prayers really help you get healing? Are angels or
spiritual guides just fantasy or are they really at the
other end of your whisper for help?

Laura, a shy 17 year old, could not wait to get home from
the world renowned Hospital For Special Surgery that
excruciatingly hot day in New York, July 1970. As soon as
she arrived, she leapt to her bedroom throwing her face on
her pillow, sobbing uncontrollably. No amount of pounding
fists or furious tears could change her fate. The doctors
had recommended an operation, which would put her in a body
caste for a year and would force her to learn to walk
again! She was devastated.

She had been diagnosed with scoliosis and a severe lower
back injury, which could cause her to lose the ability to
walk later in life. She had heard about scoliosis, but now
she was the one burdened with this deformity beneath baggy
clothes and a "great personality."

On that hot July day Laura decided, "No way. I am not
going to have this scary operation." She decided to live
with her twisted body and lower back pain well into young
adulthood, accepting her "ugly" fate stoically.

In her late twenties, she began experimenting for a
healing, trying different, unorthodox treatments, since the
medical establishment had no hope for her.

At one point she even bought a bar on which to hang upside
down from special "gravity boots." Every day she would
hang there for 30 minutes or so hoping gravity would be her
ally and readjust those crooked bones.

One day as she hung upside down she decided to pray for a
solution from God. Perhaps it was the extra blood rushing
to her head, but until that moment, she had never had the
inspiration to ask in prayer for help.

Shortly after she began those prayers, she started having
dreams of being a ballerina. She had so many of them she
began to get the message. Ballerina's all had
magnificently straight spines!

It was difficult starting ballet at 28 years old but after
each lesson, she would feel and look straighter, taller and
more symmetrical. One day after about a year into this,
her mother exclaimed, "You are getting straighter! This is
a miracle!" Laura already knew it was working and smiled
secretly to herself.

Her spine continued to improve. Laura moved from being the
quiet girl to being a sought out social butterfly. She
even became an avid ballroom and Latin dancer, an entire
social life and artistic expression blossoming around it.
She had been led by her dreams after praying for help, to a
healing and it had worked!

I can testify this story is real, because it is about
myself.

We all have access to the power of spirit. However, your
spiritual resources are not going to rally to your support
until you firmly and deliberately ask for it.

Try this little exercise. Identify a challenge you are now
having in your life. Now get into a relaxed state, either
through deep breathing and a quieting of your mind, or just
before falling off to sleep at night. After you relax, ask
a higher power, God, to help you solve the problem. See it
being solved; see yourself shining and exuberantly happy
with a solution.

Keep a journal next to your bed at night. If you are
awakened with a dream write down what you saw. Within
these dreams you might have found the answer to your
problem. The answer might come from reading an article,
which prompts a solution. You might speak to a friend who
tells you a story about someone who had a similar concern
and how they solved it. The answer can come from anywhere.
But you have to ask for guidance, and then remain open and
alert to receiving the answer.

----------------------------------------------------
Laura Bartolini Mendelsohn, Spiritual Counselor, Writer and
Teacher, helps people solve problems and create success
with wise guidance from spirit. Order your FREE Report now,
"Intuitive Magic 360" from her website
http://www.angelwisdomcoaching.com/ .

Shedding a new skin and dealing with changes

Shedding a new skin and dealing with changes
I want to tell you about my recent experience with major
changes in my life. This is all my own interpretation, but
it might help you see similar patterns in your own life.

Numerology tells us that we go through cycles that last
approximately seven years. The more we are aware of these
cycles, the better we can learn from them and the richer
our lives become.

I have just completed a major cycle in my life - the 7
times 7 cycle. To me this means that everything in my life
has over the past six months been turned upside down in a
way that makes my jaw drop, but that is a story for another
day.

What I am aware of is that I am seriously entering a new
life phase in my life - a far more challenging one than I
have ever experienced, and it is so exciting. That is what
my heart and mind says, but there is evidence to the
contrary in my body. Let me explain.

In my experience each new phase conquers more fear and
expands my awareness massively. With every change I become
more aware of the power of the prayer of Jabez.This prayer
is in the Bible in 1 Chronicles 4:10 and reads as follows:
"Oh that thou wouldst bless me and enlarge my border, and
that thy hand might be with me, and that thou wouldst keep
me from harm harm so that it might not hurt me". Each life
change enlarges my border in the sense that more false
illusions are broken down and more blessings come my way.
Read the book The Prayer of Jabez for a very insightful
explanation of the prayer.

I regularly deal with clients that are going through these
big life changes, and in the readings that I do the changes
are often described as shedding a new skin. It conjures up
the picture of us leaving an old, dry skin behind, but this
only happens at the right time when the new skin is in
place. The new skin is soft and beautiful like a new baby
skin, and something to treasure and enjoy. The process of
moving from one skin or phase to the new one of course
leaves us vulnerable and sometimes feeling alone on our
spiritual journeys, because we often forget that we have
been in this space before.

Because I have started to recognise the pattern and my
awareness has grown over the years, it has become easier
for me to recognise the new cycle. Of course when you know
you are at the bottom of a foothill, you forget to look
back at the part of the mountain you have conquered, and
only see the series of foothills ahead of you. It then
becomes so easy to resist and to say this is too much for
me, I cannot do this, I want to have a break and so on.

That is what happened to me. My mind and heart know that
there are exciting times ahead, but my body decided to
resist. Of course our bodies simply express the state of
our souls ' like a barometer, and I had fears that I did
not want to acknowledge to myself.

I am normally in very good health and have never been
allergic to anything in my life. Imagine my surprise when
recently I woke up one morning, covered in dark red spots,
literally from head to toe. My first thought was that I
had picked up some contagious disease and I was at the
doctor's surgery before opening time.

The diagnosis was an allergic reaction that attacked all
the hair follicles on my body and caused inflammation in
every single one of them. It took about a week for the red
spots to turn into ' you guessed it ' baby pink spots, and
then to disappear.

For the next three weeks my skin was as dry as yes - a
snake skin. By the time the tiny scabs came off, I was
still puzzled as to why this had happened.

Then I had a dream about leaving my body and not liking the
experience at all. I found this quite strange for various
reasons. Firstly I had left my body on various occasions
before, but this always happened when I was awake. On each
occasion I can remember leaving and returning, but I cannot
re-member what happened while I was out of my body. After
each experience I could identify a distinct difference in
the way my mediumship progressed, and the effect has always
been a pleasant surprise.

The second reason why I found this dream strange was that
in the dream I did not like being out of my body at all.
Even though I cannot re-member what I experience while I am
away, I know it is always pleasant and something to look
forward to.

Then suddenly I realised what it was about. I have been
resisting the changes, and the allergic reaction was in its
own way a message from my body to me that I was "shedding
my skin" as part of the new cycle that I have been
entering. The message is now quite clear: I can resist
the changes in my life, but they will happen anyway because
they are part of my Path. I need to let go of any fears
that I have, because I know that those fears are only
illusions. I have learnt to trust my inner compass, and
there is no reason under the sun why it would fail me this
time.

And guess what? I have not made any changes in my diet,
and the allergy is mostly gone. And in terms of the
changes in my life, I am white-water rafting and screaming
at the top of my voice, because I enjoy the ride and not
because I am afraid.

----------------------------------------------------
Elsabe Smit hereby grants a NON-EXCLUSIVE license to any
and all persons and entities to copy and reprint any
article she posts as long as the article is left IN-TACT
and UNALTERED and proper credit is given to her as Author.
Elsabe Smit is the author of http://www.mypurpleblog.com
Spiritual interpretations of everyday life and of the book
A Tapestry of Life

CREATE TRUE PEACE FROM ANGELS: Don't Be A Fool

CREATE TRUE PEACE FROM ANGELS: Don't Be A Fool
April Fool's Day is thought to have begun in the 1500s when
the Gregorian calendar changed the New Year from April 1 to
January 1. Those who erroneously continued to celebrate
the New Year on April 1 were labeled "fools," ridiculed and
in general played upon by other folk. You were either
"with it" or not, which was "foolish."

In the article "Showroom Sizzle, The Most Desirable Cars On
The Planet," Road and Track magazine (3/2008) speaks about
the Alfa Romeo 8C Spider as "a sexy Italian," describing it
as "slinky" and mentions another car "will provide hours of
smoky burnouts."

We are all subject to this type of positioning. Madison
Avenue, one of the global capitals of advertising, knows
how to tempt, torture and tease us into finally buying that
new something. When you have what they advertise you are
supposed to feel better. Having less of it makes you a
"fool."

This is not a criticism of our advertising industry, but
rather an accolade to their cleverness and acknowledgement
of its pervasive nature throughout our economy. Without
Madison Avenue our economy would slow down. So let's thank
them for that.

But it is important to realize there is a difference in
satisfaction from owning the latest luxury car to being
loved by your mother. In order to truly feel good about
yourself, angelically peaceful, centered, whole and I shall
dare to say, charismatic, you need to feel complete. The
way to feel complete is to connect to the "source" of
everything.

As trite as that sounds, people report when they meditate,
pray or simply commune with nature; they feel connected to
a spiritual presence. This is what the "Celestine
Prophecy" calls energy. You can either have it
holistically from its true source, or you can fleetingly
steal it with a new luxury car or some other false icon
before you.

Here are some suggestions to begin your own process towards
a more peaceful, content and charismatic life.

1. Commune with nature. If it is the beach that comforts
and sooths you, live there or get there often. If you like
sunsets, enjoy more of them. If babies bring you joy, go
to a shopping mall and say hello to each one as it goes by.
The list of ways to add the healing and beauty only nature
can provide is endless.

2. Meditate. I was taught to meditate when I was going
through a stressful time in my life. The results were
nothing less than spectacular. I was more peaceful,
centered and found less need to let off stress with
addictive, destructive behaviors. Start each day with a
quiet meditation.

3. Worship. For some people worship is going to church,
others a twelve step program, still others attending a
spiritual message service. Whatever works for you, find a
way to feel the presence of spirit and routinely connect
with it.

4. Art. Appreciate or make your own art. Watch, hear and
experience the works of masters channeling the energy of
our creator through their expression. Experience symmetry,
balance and expression pulse through your veins as you
create your own art.

5. Discover and live Your Life Purpose. Edgar Cayce says
living your life purpose will provide a deep sense of being
at peace with yourself and all of life. Hire an intuitive
coach to help you define and reach this dream. A coach can
help you see yourself differently and keep you on track
towards reaching your goal.

These are just a sampling of some ideas which can help you
commune with the divine. The more you do this, the greater
your ability to generate your own peace, sense of
well-being and charisma. Soon you will be living a more
balanced, harmonious and satisfying life. Don't be a
fool. Connect with source.

----------------------------------------------------
Laura Bartolini Mendelsohn, Spiritual Counselor, Writer and
Teacher, helps people solve problems and create success
with wise guidance from spirit. Order your FREE Report
now, "Contacting Your Angelic Guides" from her website
http://www.angelwisdomcoaching.com/ .

Got Connections?

Got Connections?
An electrical connection allows electricity to flow from
one point to another so that a certain task can be
performed successfully. A good example is a lamp. With a
good electrical connection, the electricity flows, you turn
the switch and you get light.

Have you ever had a water connection break down? If a pipe
breaks or becomes disconnected then there is an
interruption of the flow of water, not to mention all the
headaches that go with it! But, fixing that connection
allows water to flow freely into your home.

Of course, there are "people connections." Someone may have
said to you, "Oh, I can get great tickets, I've got good
connections." You've probably heard many times that, "It's
who you know." In the business world, having good
connections can be very beneficial. Good connections
provide a way for things to flow from one person to another.

But so many Christians overlook the best connection there
is. If the Bible says that we are children of God, then
that means that God is our Father. Think about that for a
minute. The Creator of the heavens and the earth is our
Father! Is that not the best connection that you could
ever have?

People often talk about how "lucky" other people are; how
they always get the good deals; how they get the best
accounts, how they got a good promotion. All they can see
is that for these few people, things just simply flow in
their lives. They conclude that these people must have
some pretty good connections.

Those who observe and say things like indicate that they
themselves never have those kinds of things happen to them.

God promised to supply all that we need. When was the last
time that somebody promised to do that for you? We really
do have the best connection that there is.

The point is, ask! Ask God for help in everything that you
do. He can and He will provide whatever you need,
including whatever other "connections" you might need. He
has promised that He would direct your path.

The key is, when asking for His help, expect to get
results. Why ask if you don't even expect an answer? Ask,
then look for and anticipate the desired results.

How can you be expecting and anticipating the results that
you need when you feel like others are just so "lucky" and
you're not? When you go around feeling like everybody else
gets all the breaks and you never do, that is exactly what
you are going to attract into your life.

Too many people live in self-pity. Their whole life
amounts to, "poor me, nothing good ever happens to me; good
things just happen to everybody else, but not me." Having
that kind of mindset will never reap the results that you
want in your life.

When you really think about, it doesn't matter what happens
to "everybody else." What is important is what you desire
to happen in your life. And guess what? Your Father has
an unlimited supply. His resources cannot be counted.
And, on top of that, He loves you!

Talk about having a good connection!

So instead of relying on your own ability, why not rely on
His ability? Instead of thinking that you have no
"connections," why not rely on your connection with Him?
Ask Him for help, and then expect it. Look for it.
Anticipate it.

Expect to receive what He has promised you. We really do
have the best connection!

----------------------------------------------------
Listen to one of Michael A. Verdicchio's Pep Talks at
http://www.MikesPepTalks.com/christians2free.html
Michael has a free newsletter called, THE PEP LETTER, at
http://www.christianinspirationalgifts.com/pepletter.html .
Michael is a husband, father, minister, author, and
broadcaster. He has been the voice on numerous productions
over the years.

What is reincarnation?

What is reincarnation?
Imagine one massive drop of water, as big as the earth,
falling from a great height. What will happen when it hits
a flat surface?

Yes, the massive drop of water will split into tiny
droplets ' myriads of them. That is similar to what
happened when we got separated from God. We became
humanity, and there are a few billion of us on this planet.

Imagine that each one of us also broke into pieces at the
beginning of time. Each one of us strive to become whole
again, and then to become part of God again. How do we do
that?

Imagine each of those tiny droplets that form you, wanting
to unite with the other droplets again, and then wanting to
re-unite with the other individuals that are part of the
gigantic drop that is God. It would be like watching a
reversed film of the droplets becoming a gigantic drop
again.

This process of becoming whole again can happen in one
lifetime, or it can happen over many lifetimes. That is
re-incarnation.

Each lifetime that we spend on this earth is part of
eternity. Each lifetime brings us closer to being whole as
individuals again, and that is why we return to this earth.

The bodies, people and circumstances we choose each time we
return to the earth depend on what we need to learn here.
Do we need to return as males or females? With other
people from previous lives whom we have unfinished business
with? Or with different people?

Have you ever noticed that some people tend to have close
bonds that are not affected by time of circumstances? Like
lovers or twins that separate and meet again years later?
Mother and daughter that are very close? Friends that live
in different countries, but always remain in contact?

Could it be that such people have become whole to the
extent that they are there to support one another on this
part of the eternal journey?

The opposite is also true ' that people experience intense
destructive emotions about each other, but for some reason
they cannot separate. We all know about the wife that in
her mind has a very good reason for staying with a cheating
or violent husband. The same holds for e.g. incestuous
relationships and for abused and neglected children.

None of these happen by chance or by accident. It is all
part of a Plan that spans centuries, and of a movement
towards integrating first with our selves, and then with
one another.

Eternity does not know time. We created time so that we
can better understand the Plan.

Eternity also does not know form. We use bodies because we
are not spiritually whole enough yet to leave those bodies
behind.

We keep re-incarnating until we can, as in the example of
the droplets, be re-integrated again.

Then, like Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Ghandi and others
like them, we return to this earth again, so that we can
light the path for our brothers and sisters. Our aim is to
re-integrate all souls, so that we can become One with God
again.

That is what re-incarnation is about.

That is why we sometimes "recognise" complete strangers and
experience déjà vu (the strong, sure feeling
that you have been in a particular place or situation
before, even though your logical mind says it is
impossible).

That is also why we sometimes have shocking daydreams about
the people we love most, and why we often have such
difficulty breaking away from the people that hurt us most.

Once we understand that we are part of eternity, it often
becomes easier to understand the most joyful and most
hurtful parts of our lives. Then we get closer to being
like those perfect single drops of water that reflect the
beauty of nature, or even to being like the collection of
perfect drops that form a rainbow.

----------------------------------------------------
Elsabe Smit hereby grants a NON-EXCLUSIVE license to any
and all persons and entities to copy and reprint any
article she posts as long as the article is left IN-TACT
and UNALTERED and proper credit is given to her as Author.
Elsabe Smit is the author of http://www.mypurpleblog.com
Spiritual interpretations of everyday life and of the book
A Tapestry of Life

Grief Itself

Grief Itself
My friend John died on Sunday.

Today is Wednesday.

As I allow my mind to travel over the many years of our
friendship, I remember vividly the first moment I saw John:
at his mother's funeral. My parents, who have since passed,
were close to John's parents, who have also passed.

I remember my mother whispering in my ear, There is John,
Alberta's son.

His daughter and wife Elizabeth were standing closely by.

We were all Unitarian Universalist and we attended the
funeral in the church I was raised in.

Sun light streamed through the beautiful stain glass
depicting the holy saints of every religion known to human
kind. A prism-like effect seemed to cast a purple aura on
the family, as they stood forlornly in their shared grief.

The last supper was open in the back of the church for the
occasion.

John was also raised Unitarian.

I remember all the conversations we had about what it was
like to be a Unitarian from birth to that present moment.

Do we think differently, do we believe in God, are we more
open minded about every world religion?

I remember the church undergoing turmoil when a beloved
minister was ousted by the board. John investigated the
inequities of the situation and as the drama unfolded,
reliably kept us informed and supported the man faithfully.

Yet there was nothing we could do to keep the minister.

This caused sadness that John would often discuss over the
years, causing him to leave the Unitarian Church.

John and Elizabeth are renown musicians. They performed
their beautiful music locally, nationally and
internationally, John with his Cello, Elizabeth her Piano.

They were both child prodigys. They played music together
with soul and passion: classical, sometimes jazz and modern.

The first time John and Elizabeth divorced, they remarried
under our Willow Tree which also happened to be the
anniversary of my marriage to Tom.

It was a cloudless August day with great hope and promise
of new lives, new potential for us all.

Tom and I, Elizabeth's daughter Bonnie, my dad, who was
still strong and fully functioning, David Gramp, the
minister, and Ipswitch, our tiny calico cat who paraded
back and forth, displaying her approval and need to be
included in an event that was lovely and harmonious--were
all in attendance.

Hansel the Ram and Nettle his faithful companion, kept a
safe distance.

The ceremony was performed by the mighty Conestoga River
that runs courageously by the old Willow Tree that stands
there still.

Within the past year, Elizabeth and John divorced again,
this time with no reconciliation.

John died of a broken heart while Elizabeth went on to
fully embrace her friends, her daughter and her grandson.

She was at peace.

She loved John but could not live with him.

But when the month of March revealed that John was
deteriorating rapidly and died minutes after Elizabeth told
him she loved and forgave him, the grief and gifts of the
situation struck all of us who knew them both, in the light
of the returning sun.

----------------------------------------------------
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-
=-=-=-
Kate Loving Shenk is a writer, healer, musician and the
creator of the e-book called "Transform Your Nursing Career
and Discover Your Calling and Destiny." Click here to find
out how to order the e-book:
http://www.nursingcareertransformation.com Check Out Kate's
Blog: http://www.nursehealers.typepad.com
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
-=-=-=-