Renewing your Faith

Renewing your Faith
So, it's Christmas & I promised myself that although I need to cook for my gathering later in the day, & my "To Do List" is absolutely enormous  & overwhelming before I am unexpectedly leaving for  a trip soon, I was going to attend Mass this morning.

I walked into the Church for the 1st time down the street completely disengaged & my mind whirling with how many hours I had in the day to get things accomplished.

As I sat & listened to the Priest drone on in his sermon about hell & brimstone, judgment, right versus wrong, it took everything I had to keep my promise to myself with integrity & sit there.  I've left masses many a time when I can't bear to hear the phrases uttered I no longer believe in

There is a point in the Mass where the congregation sets forth intentions together & prays  out loud as a whole.  I woke up with a jolt out  my disengaged haze when I heard words to the effect of. "We pray for those that are  Lonely, The Sick, The Refugees,  Our Departed Loved Ones, The Homeless....."  With each word said, my heart was broken open further & filled with compassion for those less fortunate & the forgotten this Christmas.   Suddenly I'd forgotten the soup I have to make, my to do list, my trip, & was completely present  in unity with the other people in this church. in compassion for others around the globe.

And I knew why my Intuition was so forceful in persisting I go to Mass this morning. It was to receive a Christmas Wake Up Call of Compassion. Compassion for others in this World and also for myself.  To not be so hard on myself to get everything done & just  feel how blessed I am right now.  To feel the deep gratitude of my life & know it will all get done in due time.

I reflected on the times in my life when Prayer had held me together & was my sole solace in Life. I flashed back to the times  growing up, especially in my early teens,  when I so desperately clung to my faith & prayed  relentlessly each week at Mass to get me through 

I flashed back to how prayers answered for Love in my Life and how Career answers always came when I had faith.  I felt the deep respect and gratitude for all of this,  knowing that this is a place more  where aa priest is droning on boringly about some things I no longer believe in, but a place of  great  sanctitude where I have built my life.

When I'd 1st walked in, of course there are endless pews to choose, even on Christmas, the church was empty, I sat in the back as usual.  I couldn't help but notice that the light was streaming in so brightly in a direct ray from my left, I was almost blinded.  As I looked into the window it was shining through, the inscription on the stained glass window of the Saint (which would normally read the Saint's name at the bottom), said "In Memory of My Mother" I've never seen an inscription like that on a church stained glass window.  That light was shining directly onto me the entire mass & I couldn't help but think it was  my mother's light shining down upon me & looking over me.  It didn't move. It didn't flicker. It remained a beacon of her love from heaven the entire Mass.

As  the service neared the end, & I walked down the aisle back from communion, I noticed a handful of people crying in the pews. Christmas is an emotional time for many. I was again overwhelmed with my renewed sense of Compassion for them & thought of who they may be mourning for..lost loved ones, sick relatives & in my heart I reached out to them as I passed.

I walked out of Church having had the Holy Spirit break through my Wall of Busyness & ready to spend Christmas day in a whole new light, & knowing my Mother is with me.

Merry Christmas & may you find this season a renewal of faith & Compassion.
Annie Nonymous

Unity in Diversity

Unity in Diversity

Yesterday, as I pulled up at a stoplight, standing on the island less than 2 feet from my car, was a man, with ragged clothes, his face sun burned and hair unkept, holding a sign asking for money. I immediately & instinctively reached into my wallet, rolled down my window, smiled & handed him a bill. He smiled, & said, "Wow!  Unbelievable. Thank you!"  His gratitude engulfed me like a warm blanket & the smile didn't leave my face for a good 20 minutes after making that left turn to get onto the freeway.

I thought to myself, if we are all One as so many spiritual teachers preach, when you give to the homeless, you give to yourself. When you turn the other way & ignore them, you truly shun yourself & the parts of YOU that you don't want to face.  There is no rationalization or logic; no "they'll just use it for drugs or alcohol."   It is not my job to guess or decide that person's path or where the money will go, it's simply my job to give. 

I have given  to each person I have passed on the street my whole life.  I have given at 10:00PM on Sepulveda Blvd in Van Nuys (L.A) at a gas station after work.  People have often asked me, "haven't you felt like you were in danger? " Not once did I ever feel anything other than I had been chosen to shine my light into someone else's life.

There was a song we sang in Catholic school where the course was, "Whatever you do to the least of my Brothers, that you do unto me."   I guess that sunk in.  Would you ignore Source?   Your job is to answer the call in whatever form in comes in & whomever it shows up as.  It is not always packaged in the neat box of volunteering somewhere or donating clothes. 

More often than not,  the response I will get from the person is, "God Bless you."   I cannot imagine a more heartfelt blessing from the Pope himself.

I distinctly remember a time walking down Michigan Ave in Chicago from the Water Tower Building to the South Loop & giving  around 9 times.  Each time I reached out my hand, I felt freer & lighter as I smiled.  By the end of the walk I was somewhere between skipping inside & walking on air.  It is so gratifying to give a bit of happiness to a stranger's day  & really get that what is a little to you is a big deal to someone else.

The bottom line is when we see The Homeless &/or someone asks us for money, it stirs an emotion within us, be it positive or negative: empathy, disgust, compassion, or the want to ignore.

My grandmother, who I used to refer to as St. Grandma was a light in this world.  When I was a young child, if a homeless person knocked on the door, she would invite them in to eat with us.  I remember her sewing up injured stray cats who had been in an alley fight.  I have been blessed with stark examples & emotional DNA programmed of kind hearts to turn in the direction of those in need, instead of  to look the other away.

So, next time a face in need turns your direction, Sow Some Good Seeds & in honoring them, honor yourself, for we truly are All One.

Soulmates: Expanding the Definition...

Soulmates
The word conjures up a specific meaning within our culture. For women, it  has something to do with a happily ever after & a man on white horse gallivanting away with us.

But what if our "Soulmates," our REAL Soulmates, are more than just the opposite sex in a romantic relationship?

What if our Soulmates are the people planted smack dab in the middle of our lives, (with or without fair warning), that change us, that teach us valuable lessons, that when they leave our lives, leave us with an indelible mark that they were there?  What if they are some of the most aggravating, & antagonizing people that have crossed our path?

I think broadening our definition of the term Soulmate to include those people serves us well.  There is a manager I worked with who was so difficult, I couldn't stand the thought of him.  He taught me some of the most valuable lessons on how to manage people, practically, by my being dragged through the mud to do it.  I have notches on my managerial tool belt that I can contribute directly to him.  At the time, it was sheer hell.  In retrospect, I was attending some serious soul school with an amazing professor.

When we're in the midst of deep emotional turmoil with others & can't see straight,  it's beyond difficult to see the silver lining & think,  "Wow, some day I'll look back on this & be grateful he treated me like crap."

 I guess the best thing to keep your chin up is to just bear in mind, what my Soul Sister & I said as teenagers, "Everything happens for a reason."

So, the next time you get some deep, negative emotions stirred up by someone in your life, whether it be someone you just met, a person who may be temporarily passing through your life, or a long time friend,  take the situation out of the face value context & think,  maybe this is a Soulmate of another sort.

A New Year Prayer

A New Year Prayer For My Life

I Am Ready for a New Chapter in My Life

I Am Ready to Move On

I Am  Ready & am Willing to have Success in Each Area of My Life

I Am Ready for Prosperity & Abundance of Every Kind to Enter My Life Easily & Effortlessly from Sources currently Unknown to Me

Pleasant Surprises & Miracles are around All Corners I Now Turn

Adversity is a Thing of The Past

I Move my Soul Forward with Heaven Sent Earth Angels Inspiring My Path every Step of The Way

I Feel God's Presence & Steady, Gentle Hand Guiding me

I Have Faith & Believe in What I cannot Yet See for I Know The Universe is Conspiring Beautiful Miracles to Enter My Life.

I Now Allow Them as I Release All Resistance

And I Surrender The Future to God