My thoughts on Race, Nationality, and Sexuality…

Have you ever wondered why there are so many races, nationalities, sexuality, and gender identifications?  Ever stop to think they are God’s way of teaching us a lesson, the lesson that beneath it all we are the same, in fact we are one consciousness?  Our differences are there to direct us to our oneness.  It seems that in times of chaos and or tragedy we find the oneness.  The thoughts of intolerance disappear when a loved one needs blood or a donor organ and we are so glad there is one for them to extend their life that the only thought toward the donor is gratitude.   Does it matter if the doctor saving your life in the emergency room was born a male and identifies as a female.  During the minutes, days, weeks, following 9/11 the thoughts were of standing together and helping each other through the horror of what happened not the nationality, color, or sexual identification of our neighbor.   The most important identification is human being. The more we learn about each other the more we will realize we are all the same and all deserve the same respect.  We must continue to move forward not take steps backward in our journey to oneness.

Life lesson from a Pirate

One of the best life lessons I have received was from a Pirate.  I would expect to learn one from a great philosopher, book, life coach, etc., but not from an action movie about a Pirate.  I was watching Pirates of the Caribbean (the first movie) and there is a scene where Jack Sparrow and Will Turner are having a sword fight.  Jack Sparrow cheats and it surprises Will Turner.   Will says to Jack “You cheated”, and Jack says “Pirate”.  I couldn’t believe the depth of that line, a giant light bulb went off.  What a lesson on how to view life.  There are times in our lives when we are dealing with difficult people, people who may not be being honest with us or just live to disagree, or may just seem plain crazy.  If we learn to look at the situation and realize that we are dealing with someone who views life differently than we do and that they may not be at the same point on their journey that we may be on ours we will be able to handle any situation by thinking to ourselves “Pirate”.   We cannot expect someone to behave the way we do when they are coming from a different perspective.   We cannot change their perspective, we just have to accept them for who they are and deal with the situation accordingly.  We just have to try to look at  the situation from their perspective.   This has helped me to be calmer and more understanding when dealing with people.   Thanks Jack!

Namaste

One morning I asked God to show me something I needed to know that day.  I went about my day as usual and went out to lunch with a friend from work.  The restaurant we went to was crowded and there were limited seats.  We ordered our food and wend to find two open seats, once we found two seats I went to the condiment table to get some things.  While I was standing there  I realized I was talking out loud to myself and realized there was someone standing next to me  There was a young man standing next to me and his face was severely disfigured.  He did not speak, I felt embarrassed being caught talking to myself and spoke briefly to him making a little joke about it.   I then went back to my seat and had lunch with my friend.  A little while later I looked up to see the young man standing at my table.  He was waving at me.  There was a young woman with him and she said that he wanted to come over and say goodbye to me.  I said goodbye to him and they left.  I knew immediately what God’s lesson was for me that day.  God was telling me that showing someone that you recognize them for who they are inside is important for them and equally as important for us.  We should not be afraid to speak to or acknowledge someone who is different from us and we should not assume that they do not understand us because they are not communicating the way we do.  We all want to be recognized for the Soul inside.  I was thankful for the young man, he made my heart happy, I felt that he saw something in me, the light within, just as I saw his light.  To me that  experience was an example of the term Namaste, I recognize  the God in you is the same as the God in me. 

Cell Phones and Spirituality

We all know or have heard that it is important to live in the moment, to be present, but in reality we have lost the ability to look up. Technology is awesome, it brings us closer to those who are far away but at the same time puts more distance between us and those who are right in front of us.  Cell phones, tablets, watches with tv, etc. have given us bent head syndrome.  Walking down the street, eating in a restaurant, sitting on the beach, even parents on children’s amusement rides are looking at their devices and are definitely not living in the moment.  No one is communicating with each other or even enjoying the world around them.  We need to look up from our devices, eat dinner with our families and have a conversation, notice how beautiful our neighborhood is as we walk down the street, and see our children’s faces as they ride the mini rollercoaster for the first time.  Then send that text.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Fear of Death and Jesus...

There is the fear of death.  You may wonder why someone who knows that we choose our lives and obviously knows that we exist before this life would be afraid of death, this is a good question and one I ask myself when the fear arises.  I am not as afraid now as I was before, I believe it was the way I was brought up to believe that if you sin you will not go to Heaven.  I would worry that God was not happy with me because I wasn’t a perfect person and angry at the mistakes I made.  This fear was dispelled one night by Jesus.  Yes, I said Jesus.  I can truly say that Jesus is my Savior, and not for the reason you may think.  When my children were about middle school age I became very anxious.  I was going back to work and worried about my kids thinking I wasn’t a good Mom, the typical worries most parents have when they have been home with the kids and decide to go back to work.  The anxiety starting turning into depression.  I had a hard time sleeping and began to obsess about death.  One night I fell asleep and began to dream, in my dream I was standing on the street where I grew up, a river of water began to rush by me and there were people and things from my past flowing by me.  As I was looking at the water Jesus appeared (yes, I did say Jesus), and he said to let it go, that everything was going to be alright.  I woke up from the dream and felt a peace like nothing else I have ever felt in my life.  I knew it was the peace of God.  I thought if this is what it feels like after we die why should I be afraid.  His words have given me Peace ever since. 

 

 

 

Your life, your choice...

Knowing that we choose our lives can give us a better outlook on our life and the lives of others.  Instead of feeling pity or sadness for someone who is sick or disabled, be it mentally, physically, or emotionally, or someone who has suffered abuse or tragedy, we should understand that their Soul chose that life and wanted that experience, most likely to learn lessons needed for their Soul’s journey.  We should always have compassion because not everyone is aware that they chose their life pre-birth.  We should thank them for the choice they made. Their choice and our reactions to them and their situation may teach us lessons that keep us from having to experience that life choice first hand.  The awareness of the choice can alleviate needless guilt and pity.  Awareness of the choice helps us to see the true essence of each other and not the shell and or experience of another, this will enable us to enjoy our life without guilt and be thankful for all the blessings in the life we chose this time around.

It's Palpable... the taste of fear

I had a conversation with a coworker one day.  He was relating how he felt when a very good friend of his was diagnosed with cancer.  He said the he was hit hard with the news and that he could taste it, kind of an antiseptic taste in the mouth.  He asked me if I knew what he was talking about.  I said yes, I did know.  It is such an odd thing to think of fear having a taste, but it does.  I thought of the times in my life that I tasted it.  When I was with my Father when he was diagnosed with Luekemia (I was sixteen years old), when my first born got lost in the Philadelphia Zoo, and when my youngest son came to us for help for addiction.  Those were the times it was palpable.

I think fear can be scarier when you cannot taste it.  The times when fear holds you back from moving forward and living the life you were meant to live.  Also when it keeps you from experiencing your fellow human beings.  Whether it is an experience or person we should not be fearful but choose to be fascinated.  Through fascination we ask questions and begin a discovery that leads to the familiar.  We realize how much more alike we are to what we feared was different.

What are your thoughts on fear?

To Church or Not to Church?

Religion can shut the door to possibility.  Faith in God, however you believe, makes everything possible.  You do not have to belong to a specific group to have faith.  We have faith when we simply believe in each other.  When you see the good in another you have faith.  Love, Faith, and Trust are all we need to succeed.

I am not saying Religion is bad, belonging to a group that shares your beliefs and comes together to pray and celebrate God can be wonderful.  I feel you should have an open mind and not close yourself off to the universe because someone else is telling you what to believe.  It is o.k. to challenge what others tell you is true.  If it doesn’t sit well with you look deep inside yourself for the answers.  They are there.   Remember, Religious rules are made by man not by God.  Some are based on Spiritual writings and beliefs and some are not.  We are here to learn and experience life and to make new discoveries for ourselves.  You are not wrong if you disagree, you have the right to question.  If someone tells you not to question what they are telling you, they either want to control you or do not have faith in the truth of their own beliefs

I've heard them calling my name...

I was raised in an Irish Catholic household, Church every Sunday and Holy Days.  I enjoyed going to Church as a child.  I enjoyed the readings, music, and rituals.  Church aside, my family had many supernatural experiences and told a lot of ghost stories.  I remember as a child when there were family gatherings after everyone had eaten and were settled in it would become a time to tell the family stories.  I would love to sit and listen to the adults tell the stories.  Some were funny, some were sad, and some were ghost stories.  There always seemed to be a story where someone saw the ghost of a relative, lived in a house where they had experiences, or had some other type of experience that could not be explained.   

During my life time I have always heard my name called.  As a child I would be out playing or walking to the local store and I would hear someone call my name, loud and clear.   I would look around and no one was there.  I would not be frightened I would just continue on my way.  One day when I was in grade school, not sure what age exactly, my Grandfather asked me if I ever heard my name being called when no one was around.  He told me not to be afraid and to pray for the souls in Purgatory because they were asking for prayers.  After he told me that I would say a prayer when I heard my name called.  As I got older I just got used to the experience and didn’t give it too much thought.  Looking back I wish I would have been able to talk to my Grandfather more about the voices.  I have a feeling he had abilities that no one knew about but him.

During my life I have never felt alone.  I have always felt there was someone with me at all times.  I have always been fascinated by people who have abilities that are not ordinary.  I have always felt that all things are possible. 

Have you heard the voices....

And so it begins...

If you watch Super Soul Sunday you will hear Oprah ask her guests “What do you know for sure?  This is a thought provoking question. You have beliefs, ideas, assumptions, and your faith.  But what do you know for sure?  My answer to the question would be, I know that we choose our life before we enter this earth.   You may wonder how I know this and think I am just assuming it or have faith that it is so.   I know it because I remember the choosing.  I have always had the memory.  I was talking about my experience one time and my Mother said that when I was very young I told her I chose to be here.  I still remember the choosing.  I remember being in the presence of God.  God did not have a physical form and neither did I.  There was communication but not vocal.  I guess I would explain the communication as telepathic.  I was given a choice of lives and   I knew the reasons for why I was given the choices.  I saw the lives and then made my choice. 

Your next thought may be, “if we get to choose our lives then why don’t we all have easy lives?  Interestingly enough the knowledge that I chose my life has been, I believe, what has gotten me through the tough times.  Somewhere deep inside I know that there is a reason I chose the life I am living and the parts that are not easy have their purpose.

Even though I have the memory of the choosing, I do not recall all of the details of the lives I was shown.   If I remembered all of what I was shown I wouldn’t have made any bad decisions.  But I also would not be learning the lessons I was sent here to learn.   

I have always had a strong feeling that there must be a reason the memory is so strong.  I felt when I was young that it was an important piece of information and that I should share it, but, when I did share it I was basically smiled at and given a look that said “good imagination kid”.  I was careful not to tell too many people the story because it was sad when they didn’t understand or accept it as true.  As I grew up I told a few people, those who I felt understood that there was more to our existence.  I have shared the story more as an adult and do not care what kind of looks I get, I know it is an experience I am meant to share.

I would like to share some of the lessons I have learned. I always find I learn best when people share their experiences and I hope that my experiences may help others realize that every experience we have is for a purpose and that we can help others by sharing our experiences.