Trust the Divine Plan

December 20, 2010

Money was tight this month. I thought about asking a local retailer if they needed an extra pair of hands for the Christmas holiday season. I dialed the number of the store after their opening time, but there was no answer. Granted, they could have just been busy; however, I see everything as a “sign”. My reaction was that this wasn’t the right thing to do since it wasn’t flowing smoothly to completion. Still sitting at my desk, I glanced at my email messages only to find one that totally took me by surprise. Moments after I wondered how I would pay my bills and was ready to work for very little money, I was being offered the opportunity to pilot a training program for my normal consulting fee.

Wow, now the picture was clearer. The universe was letting me know that all was well after all. Not to worry, the divine plan was at work.

Sitting back in my chair I surmised that I had been given a break during December – just some time off – and that I would be back working diligently in January. Money would be coming in with the New Year. God had a plan for me. All I had to do was trust that the plan was in place.

This type of “help and support” is not just for me but for everyone. Here’s another example that happened just last week. One of my girlfriends and I spoke last Thursday evening regarding her concerns over losing her position at work. The contract she was on was being rebid and her company might not win. What would she do worst case? I told her, imagine the worst! Then imagine that she had resources put aside for a few months, in the absolute worst case that another company didn’t snatch her up right away if she was laid off. I told her to turn the problem over to God and let the scenario play out. She felt better.

Coincidentally, we met for lunch the next day for our holiday gift exchange. Of course, I really don’t believe in coincidence. She was a different person as she excitedly told me the news. After our talk, she had in fact turned her problem over to God asking that she be divinely cared for, while this very morning she’d received an email from another organization offering her another position. Wow, fast work! Now she has options. She was still a bit concerned. Again I reminded her, “The right one is the one that works out.” “Go with the situation that feels right to you”, I told her, “but remember that when the events fall into place it’s the universe showing you which way to go.”

Remember that the divine plan is perfect even if we just don’t always have the right vantage point to see the whole picture. Trust that God’s plan is in place and all will be according to the highest good.

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Do You Really Need It?

October 18, 2010

Last night I was watching the Home Shopping Network (HSN) and quickly realized how addicting this program is. The hosts are so very enthusiastic about each product that they instill the fear of “missing out” on a good deal, that’s it’s the deal of alifetime and one that cannot be missed. Of course, they repeat this process for each product, until all of a sudden, one begins to get swept up in the emotion of the situation and begins to believe there is an actual “need” for this item. One surely cannot live without it. They have people call in to indicate how many of this designer’s purses they already have as if to say, I’ve done it, so should you.

If we step back we can see real marketing at work. Show a product and then create the need. How many purses, or whatever do we really need? I’m not discounting that someone may really want a new bag for the season and there may be a deal to be had on this show. However, there are times that I’ve gotten caught up in buying something only to receive it, find it’s really not so wonderful and return it. Thank goodness, HSN also has a great return policy, except for the shipping expense. So no harm done. I’m not slamming HSN. It’s really the midnight shopping phenomenon. It could also be on the internet. There are times when I’m bored with my life and I decide that it’s time to buy myself something and midnight is a convenient time to shop on the internet. That’s the great things about the internet; it’s open 24×7. Any time and any place around the world it’s possible to shop.

Now let’s take a look at what’s behind all this midnight shopping. Is it really looking for a good deal? Let’s put this one possible situation aside, for those that really want to buy something and have carefully thought out the purchase. For the rest of us, there’s an emotional need that hasn’t been satisfied and we use shopping as therapy. It’s even been given a name – “retail therapy”. Wow, the common folk have a psychological term for shopping to satisfy unmet needs and it’s totally accepted. Let’s do some retail therapy is a battle cry of the girls for a Thursday night movie and shopping evening.

Ok, it’s fun. But let’s also assume that they can afford what they buy. How about the woman that already had 24 other purses by this designer? Does anyone need 25 purses? Remember the buzz about Emelda Marcos and her shoes? Well she was really rich.

When I was very much younger I learned to make choices. Fend off the design for the small stuff in order to get the big stuff. I didn’t buy costume jewelry in order to save for real gold. The result is that I own real jewelry that people are always eyeing. It may not always be quite as trendy, but it’s always in good taste since the real thing is timeless. And, when gold hit major highs last year, I sold some of what I didn’t need for real money to pay some bills.  Foregoing a few $200 purses adds up to a major vacation, for example. I took many vacations to foreign lands over the years as a result of my “delayed gratification” program. In the end, I had the opportunity to do what many leave for their later years – travel alot.

Back to HSN – now they make it really easy to buy by offering flex payments. Only pay a bit each month they tell us. Of course we know that so many flex payments add up to debt. And this country is in big trouble from so much debt. Again, foregoing gratification now for later allows us to have the big items, like preparing for retirement. If we don’t start saving when we are young, the money won’t be there when we are old. That’s how it works. I’m so glad that I started to save at 26, putting money away slowly over the years, so that I can have a retirement. So before you buy, ask yourself, “Do you need it?”

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The Divine Plan at Work

September 15, 2010

Once again I find myself being guided by divine providence. Or, perhaps, I’m manifesting what I’ve already created? Just a couple months ago, I found that I needed more money than I was bringing in. Not an uncommon situation. In my case, independent health care and pre-existing conditions resulted in an astronomical monthly premium after my 18 months of COBRA ran out. The additional expense was excessive and I decided to “ask” for help in the way that I know best. I sat down on my bed and said, “God I need help paying for my healthcare”. That’s pretty straight forward. Well, right on schedule, a friend sent me an email and then followed up with a phone call, insisting that I apply for a government position as a project manager. She and I had worked together on a prior job a few years earlier and she was still working at the same location and knew of the need for additional staff. I wasn’t keen on the idea of going back to work for the FED, since I’d already been there and done that, so to speak. But after some consideration I determined that it certainly would be a good way to get my healthcare covered.

 Besides, perhaps this was what I was supposed to do… as in being led by my own guidance to get my prayer answered. I never looked for a job, the opportunity came to me.  Completing the application was quite a chore, as it took several days. I dutifully answered all the questions after looking through my many years of experience. Sometimes I think that one gets a government position through sheer fortitude of will to maneuver through the paperwork process.

Several weeks went by without any word. Then on a most auspicious day, I got an invitation for an interview. It would have been my father’s 93rd birthday, had he not passed on three years earlier. From my vantage point, this was a domino falling into place letting me know that I was on the right track. It was a sign.

 The interview is tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes. The right thing is the one that works out.

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We can’t control everything

August 23, 2010

There are times when there is lots going on and we really want to get things under control. So we try to do our best to control, order, file and arrange. But no matter how hard we try, things just happen. There are many terms for it.. but stuff happens.

We can't control everything

We can't control everything

During one of these periods, I was driving down the street and a stone hit my windshield. It was a little stone but the impact cracked the windshield just enough making a replacement necessary. “Why did this have to happen to me?” I asked. So I asked my guidance for help in taking care of this situation – since my finances were short and this item was surely not on the list.The message I got from guidance was “we can’t control everything” but we can get “help” when we need it.

In no time flat, I received unexpected gifts of money, new clients and the money for this expense was worth coming. Ok, one aspect taken care of. Next, I found a company that made house calls. What convenience!

So, although we might want to manage all the details in our lives, the answer to all the chaos is not really in control, but in having faith that we will be guided to find the answers and to have the resources to solve the problems.  When we have faith, the chaos is sorted for us. It all works out for the best in the end.

My windshield was replaced and is in good order now and in the process, the universe reminded me that I must continue to trust that I will be guided to know the way.

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The Hospice Visit – Caring for Others

August 6, 2010

It’s truely amazing how we are cared for when we care for others. Here’s a true story of my Hospice visitation experience.

Volunteering for Hospice is a noble accomplishment. Actually putting the time on the calendar and adding the activity into my appointment allocation is another. In any case, I decided that I would ear mark Thursdays from 1-3pm and just mark the time off. If I didn’t do that, it would be too easy to allow other things to take precedent and then I’d never get to the Hospice visitations.

 The initial training went well as did my first supervised session with actual Hospice patients. These are individuals, whom doctors have indicated may die within six months, thus they are entitled to care by Hospice facilities. The payment arrangements are beyond me, since I’m a volunteer. All I know if that during my father’s last few weeks, he had Hospice personnel visiting him. In addition, my mother went to a Hospice-sponsored support group after he died. I decided that it was a good idea for me to give back to an organization that not only helped my own parents, but one which I might need at some point in the future.

 So now I’m actually going on my own to two nursing homes and assisted living centers that house Hospice patients. I was assigned to two dementia patients and one breast cancer patients. With the dementia patients, they can hardly communicate. During the few times that they do, their words are so jumbled that it is very difficult to understand. Yet, I still feel good when interacting with them. Last time one thought that I was taking him “home” not realizing that he wouldn’t see home again. I did my best to explain that he was going to spend the night “here” which produced a very surprised look even though this person had resided at the facility for a number of months.  The other dementia patient just smiled and occasionally looked in my eyes as gibberish came out of her mouth. Not really knowing what else to do, I merely told her stories of my cats and what was going on with my day. She continued to smile with wide-eyes. The third patient is very talkative and although gets off track now and then, she’s pretty coherent and loves to tell me stories of her life. She’s the breast cancer patient. I’m not supposed to ask about her illness, but I’d love to know how she can look so good and maintain such a positive attitude, yet be on a six-month to live list. She’s really amazing.

 Today, the first dementia patient was in the hospital. It happens. The second one was sleeping and couldn’t be roused. Oh well. And the third was as talkative as ever. I had to be so careful not to let tears come to my eyes as she pointed to the three generations that follow her – her daughter, granddaughter and five-year old great granddaughter.  She lost her son many years ago to AIDS. I didn’t ask any questions about that one either. She was very proud of her son whatever his profession was.

 So I’m just a person who tries to help, keeping a few people who don’t have much time left on earth company. That’s the Hospice belief. That no one should die alone. And, as I left my cancer patient, the skies opened up to a torrential downpour while I didn’t have an umbrella with me. As I approached the front door, a nurse was holding a huge umbrella, almost as if she was waiting for me. “Could you walk me to my car?” I asked. “Yes, of course” she replied. There she was just as I need her to prevent me from getting soaking wet. I thanked her. Then, once inside my car, I quietly said, “thanks” to the powers to be, since I knew that I was being cared for as I was in the midst of caring for others.

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The Path to Getting our Life Lessons- Part 1 – Awareness

June 23, 2010

First we have to understand our nature. We are essentially energy beings. We are made up of energy. According to Quantum theory, the energy of stuff – including light particles, reacts even when separated in another room. Thus our bodies, since we’re made of the same core energy that light’s made of, will react when people or other living beings are nearby. We experience this everyday when we meet someone for the first time and either immediately like them, dislike them or have specific feelings about this person.

What are the feelings based on? We react to the energy that the person emits. Our unique energy pattern is our very own symphony. I call this unique energy that a person radiates, their symphony. Your symphony is a very special message that you send out to the world. It is based on the energy coming from all of your energy centers that speak to how you take care of yourself, deal with life issues, are in fear or love, if you are using your spiritual gifts, how well you are firmly planted in your body and if you are connected to your divine essence, among other things. Wow, that’s a lot! It sure is.

Since our reactions can be positive or negative, we need to understand what’s going on. But let’s take it from the person’s viewpoint. They are sending out either positive or negative energy in order for us to have this reaction. We are merely “reacting” to what they are sending out since like attracts like. What is an example? If you are around a happy, positive person, then you tend to feel vibrant, welcomed and high spirited yourself. As a result, one would lean towards liking a positive person. Therefore, a positive person gets positive reactions from the world mirrored back to them. The situation also works in reverse. No one likes to be around a mean-spirited, fussy individual and thus such a person would find that people tend to avoid, cut off or not wish to interact with them.

 Sometimes we need help to uncover our patterns and the lessons intertwined within. Wow, what if the negative person didn’t get why people wanted to avoid them? What if they wondered, “Why don’t people like me?” This is a pretty straight forward situation, yet there are so many cases like this in the world. People can be quite clueless as to how their behavior emits responses. The beginning of one’s self work is awareness before understanding. Sometimes it takes a teacher or helper to see what’s going on.

When I do an energy reading on my clients during our first meeting, I get a wealth of information about this person without them telling me. The look on their faces lets me know how true my results are and how well connected we become as a result. Then our work together can begin to uncover the root of their understanding of their energy patterns.

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Introduction for The Circle of Life – A Journey Through Grief to Understanding

May 24, 2010

Tools ‹ Joanne’s StarTeacher Blog — WordPress.

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Want one to chew on?

April 30, 2010

Ever think about how you use your gut to guide you on a daily basis without thinking about it?

Sometimes we just don’t feel like getting up. There’s this little voice inside our heads that tells us to roll over and get a few more winks. Usually, it’s just that we stayed up too late watching a good movie, but perhaps on this one day, it’s especially loud. Don’t get up. Stay in bed! Then you find out that the place you were going to work got blown up! Wow! That’s what happened to many people that didn’t go to work the day the plane hit the twin towers or the day the plane hit the Pentagon.

There are lots of stories like this. My mother was supposed to go to a party and decided at the last minute not to attend. Those that went together were in the same car; unfortunately, the car stalled on a railroad track as a train was coming and they were all killed. They couldn’t get out of the car fast enough. My mother was saved.

I was driving during the early morning hours towards an intersection and a little voice told me to “look left”. As I turned my head, I immediately put my foot on the brake in time to stop the car I was driving just prior to hitting another car that was zooming towards me. Had that voice not provided the warning, I might not be here today.

Don’t under estimate the power of your inner guidance system to give you warnings. But it’s important to pay attention and listen. Be vigilant and let your guidance guide you.

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Our energy invites what we give out

April 18, 2010

We manifest whatever we need at the moment based on the energy we give out. Without realizing it, we are attracting whatever we are thinking. So it’s like the law of attraction in reverse. What we are getting, is whatever we are giving out. That’s how we know where we are. This can be very useful if we are paying attention.

It can be as simple as love from an animal. My cats respond to me exactly as I am giving out to them. When they want to be around me, I know that I’m tending to them properly. If my female cat prefers to stay in the other room, I know that I haven’t paid enough attention to her. How amazing our furry friends are to be a litmus test of our emotions. Sometimes, I’m sitting on the sofa and I feel this little tap on my arm. It’s my female cat Judas letting me know that its time to pay attention to her. Wow, how she lets me know.

Meanwhile, my male cat Hercules was crying during the night and my vet said he was having panic attacks. While I was writing my book, I was staying up late and not wanting him to fuss with me. He was reacting like a small child not getting his way. Once I settled down and started loving him properly did the little guy totally calm down. Now he’s back to his old self. We are back to our normal pattern and both of us are getting more sleep.

Animals are wonderful mirrors for our patterns. But people are too. They often aren’t as obvious in letting us know when we are kind, mean, or otherwise not responding properly. But if we pay attention to their reactions, we can figure out how our energy is bringing us exactly what we give out.

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Being in the Right Place at the Right Time

April 8, 2010

Every wonder how you just happen to be in the right place at the right time? Do you thing it’s a coincidence or do you believe that you are divinely guided? I subscribe to the later philosophy. Here’s a great example that happened on my recent visit to my Mom in Palm Springs, CA.

We were at the local strip shopping mall, having left the grocery store, and passing a couple with a cute dog sitting in the lovely cafe area just outside on the patio area. The dog was so adorable, I couldn’t help myself, and stopped to pet the little feller as I often do in such cases. Then I looked up at the owners, sitting on either side of their beloved frisky, tail wagging friend. Before I knew it, we were all in a conversation of “where do you come from?, where do you live?, what are you doing here?… etc. etc.” I had my newly-released inspirational memoir in the car, having conducted a book-signing just a day or so before during my visit there, always ready for an impromptu sale and or autograph session.

Apparently, the couple, about 60 years old, were visiting the area from LA and were enjoying a cold drink before heading back to their rented condo. The husband – Michael,  had just lost his mother and was grieving terribly. So much so, that even in the shade, he was continuing to wear his sunglasses to hide his eyes reddened from crying (I later found out from his wife). After hearing me provide the introduction to my book – that my father had communicated with me after he died to provide hope to my mother that there was more to life for – he was very interested. At that moment, I realized the car wasn’t close enough – I needed to carry copies of my book with me. Michael got my Mom’s phone number indicating that he indeed wanted a copy and would come by.

Michael followed through and while I was walking the next morning, he came over and bought the book. In addition, he made real contact with my Mom, for he needed some TLC that only another mother could provide. My mother was happy to have found Michael and has had considerable contact with him since, even inviting him over for dinner while his wife was traveling out of town.

So it all worked out perfectly. I connected with people that needed to meet both me – for my book – and my mother – for her surrogate mothering. In turn, Mom was happy to make the acquaintance of new people that she could relate to. The day went well for all concerned. Was it an accident that I stopped and spoke to them? I don’t think so. Do you?

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