Random Acts of "Kindness"

Posts tagged ‘Angels’

TERRY’S BIRTHDAY

Following is an email I sent to family and a few friends after I was surprised by my brother. He passed over with my mother 60 years ago when he was two. A few years ago I decided that the “friend” who hits me on the head is my brother. Isn’t that how brother’s show love to their sisters? ” My friends in high places” often “help” me with my writing. Today is no exception.

“I have NO ENERGY TODAY! In order to accomplish something, I wrote two blogs. One titled GLASSES, the second SUNSHINE!

I was reading the preview of SUNSHINE on the blog’s finished page when in the MIDDLE, Sunshine disappeared to be REPLACED by GOOD IDEA which was published in AUGUST of 2013.

I probably should mention that today is my brother Terry’s birthday. Good Idea concerned the Fast Metabolism diet that I successfully lost weight on. Sadly the weight is back and my attempts to restart the food plan have not been successful. Looks like I should be a little more serious about it. After all, I have “friends in high places” who watch out for me.

There is no way I can explain today’s happening. I did wish my brother, Terry, a happy birthday this morning.”

I can not explain most of the things that occur unexplained in my life. All I can do is share the stories. If you can profit by my experience so much the better but don’t get discouraged. Remember I have had experiences for most of my life. For many years I was unaware of the “help” I was receiving. My mother was EXTREMELY GOOD at working behind the scenes and my brother probably followed suite. I didn’t start to become more aware until I REALLY NEEDED THEIR HELP when my father had Alzheimer’s disease. He passed over more than 19 years ago and my life became really more interesting after that.

Although I’m writing this on Memorial weekend which coincides with my brother’s birthday this year, it won’t publish until after my mother’s birthday. For years I didn’t know the dates of either of their birthdays. I didn’t know the date of the fire either. Facts were hidden from me.

I’d thought of taking the summer off, putting the blog on summer vacation. Evidently that is not in their plans for me. But I’m receiving idea’s so I can schedule rambles to publish while we are busy with other things. If life becomes really interesting, as it often does — I’m sure I will be inspired to put more ideas in print.

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SMART

I don’t know how many times I have heard someone remark that animals are dumb. That person is probably so wrapped up in their own life that they don’t pay attention to the animals around them. Anyone who has watched a squirrel for any length of time as they conquer the contraption that has been set up to stop them from getting food knows how much ingenuity they use to accomplish their mission.

Many years ago, when I spent a summer at our camper, a bird knocked on our window to alert me to a squirrel on the bird feeder. The bird was hungry, it wanted to eat. A different bird knocked on the window when the feeder was empty.

Taking advantage of a warm day, we went to the country to pick up my husband’s 1954 Lincoln. Our mechanic shared a story about his golden retriever. His dog does not want birds in her yard. One day he looked all over for her — when he called, he noticed her head sticking up from top of their pine tree which rises above their house. He told her to come down, which she did, but as he was standing there, she climbed back to the top again.

We were at our daughter’s recently. She has a wireless fence but Robin doesn’t wear the needed collar. We have a long lead that is attached to a stake. It is long enough to allow her to run with their miniature poodle and their golden retriever. Maggie, the retriever, has had a long winter — she has put on weight too. Tired, she stopped Robin from running by sitting on her lead. Robin is younger, she has energy to spare — later Maggie held the lead in her mouth to stop the activity.

All the time we were at our daughter’s it rained every day — there were some dry hours but mostly non stop rain. The sky was cloudy when we left to drive home but rain was forecast. I noticed that Robin was moving around in the back seat, not settling down to sleep. We stopped at the first rest stop, to give her an opportunity to do any business — settle down for the trip. It was a good thing we did — not more than 5 minutes back on the road, the rain started and didn’t stop until we reached home, over an hour later. Thankfully, “my friends” take care of our whole family!”

On a different note — a waitress at a restaurant that we frequent shared a happening with me. (I have shared my stories with her over time so she is aware that I walk to a different drummer.) A few months ago her boyfriend passed over after a long illness. She had not visited the cemetery but was planning on going that day. I told her that he wasn’t there. She replied, “I know but he keeps asking me why I haven’t gone.” Her comment caught my attention. I asked if he appeared to her in a dream. “No,” she said. “While you were awake?” I asked. To which she replied, “Yes. This was the second time he came. So I’m going.”

I can truthfully admit that has NEVER happened to me. I DO NOT SEE spirits — we all have our own talents, we need to honor them.

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NEWS

Starting the day, no coffee or tea yet — I turned on the television to get the weather report. A traffic alert was being broadcast — a main street near our house was closed because of a fire, recommendations were being given to avoid the closure. Normally that wouldn’t affect me at all except I was planning to go out. In fact, I had overslept and needed to leave within the hour. I was hoping the weather report would give me information that I needed. The traffic alert definitely did.

It was the second time since January that I have taken our car out by myself. The cold, ice and snow have clipped my wings. The forecast for the day promised spring like temperatures and I was taking advantage of the sunshine — meeting a friend before the next storm arrived. I headed for one of the alternative streets and quickly learned that wasn’t a good idea. A gas station on the corner allowed me to turn the car around. I tried another recommended street with the same results. No gas station but a side street allowed me to make my escape. I didn’t want to waste the day stuck in traffic.

Everybody must have had the same idea. Traffic was heavier than normal. My third alternative provided a safe route and moving traffic. The parking lot at the restaurant where we eat breakfast was full, snow and ice restricted parking places. I finally found a safe place to park on the street.

Often — my day will follow the pattern that starts it. This day followed that course. Many challenges — none insurmountable. I wished that I had made a shopping list, trusting to my memory was always interesting. Luckily I have “friends in high places” that like to “help” me. At the stores, I wandered down aisles that contained items that I needed. I remembered to buy a pair of shoes for my husband and a flashlight. Checking out at the register, I had spent more than I planned. Looking at the receipt I noticed the flashlight was more than the shelf sticker advertised. The return line was long but I didn’t want to keep the flashlight. It might never get back to the store.

I finally was getting close to the counter when BOTH of the people ahead of me had issues that were not resolved quickly. In both cases a supervisor needed to be called, merchandise brought from the back of the store, conferences held and I wondered if I REALLY wanted to return the item.

It was FINALLY my turn. And five minutes later we were on the way to my car.

I won’t bore you with the rest of my day. Just a couple of highlights. When I order French fries without salt, I received a larger size for the long wait. I found pot roast on sale. The price had been too high for me to comfortably purchase some.

Arriving back home, I hadn’t had time in the morning for all of my morning prayers. I opened my Queen Of Angel book and read “accept my protection.” My response –THANK YOU, I did!

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DRIP

DRIP

When I wrote To Pap with Love I had trouble printing Chapter Four. I didn’t like to rely on the copy on my computer or on the external disk. Every time I made a change, which was often, I printed out a new copy and the printer stopped. I tried to change the words, we were celebrating my granddaughter’s first communion — it didn’t matter. Every change I made, trying to solve the problem, didn’t help. The printer still stopped at the party. After many months the printer finally printed ALL of Chapter Four without stopping when I realized that it wasn’t the words, it was the gift of a beautiful day.

Last weekend would have been my father’s one hundred and fourth birthday. Our youngest daughter planned to drive to Chicago with her children to celebrate her daughter’s fifth birthday while her husband was out of town. We have not had a snow free Saturday in six weeks. I was concerned — they live one hundred and fifty miles south of Chicago. The main road for traveling is often snow covered and icy. The wind whips across the farmland and the road. To say I watched the weather reports with a microscope would not be exaggerating. Thankfully the forecasted snow was light. They were able to come into the city safely and return home safely.

While they were in town we visited the Swedish museum. My daughter is writing a book in which one of the characters is Swedish. She wanted to get a bit of background. My father was a full blooded Swede. I’m a mongrel — a bit of this, a bit of that. I didn’t know that the third floor held a children’s museum which has won an award. Sadly my camera stayed on a shelf at home. I will have to trust my memory and the snippet that I’m writing in this ramble. I wished I had known about the museum when we were watching our grandson when his mother taught at a school. The kids had a marvelous time catching fish off of a bridge, rowing a boat, planting in the garden and investigating a log cabin. They tried to carry milk containers on the shoulder carrier, fed the wood burning stove and in general experienced a little bit of life in Sweden which gave their mother time to do research.

This winter is breaking all records for cold and snow. We have already had 68 inches of snow. Normal is less than 30. Another polar vortex has descended. Zero temperature has returned. More snow is forecast for this weekend 4 – 8 inches as a matter of fact. I was just outside cleaning up our yard. I had watched Robin, all 25 pounds, climb to the top of our four foot snow mountain and stand looking around. I was amazed when the frozen mountain supported my weight, which is a lot more than 25 pounds.

Down in the basement washing clothes, a bit upset about the frigid week — I remarked to the dust and cob webs, “You’d better snap out of this!” At the bottom of the wash tub, a dime waited for me. This morning, the sink in the kitchen WOULD NOT stop dripping. It didn’t matter what I did. I finally remembered to look at the pan in the basement catching the overflow for the furnace. It was more than half full. The sink in the kitchen is still dripping, but only one or two drops — not the flow of the morning.

Robin, while not depressed, is missing the kids. A car like my daughter’s was in front of the house and Robin was whimpering. So she found a few children’s toys to chew on.

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OUCH

A whisper …. a pebble …. A knock on the head …. When God wants your attention!

I’ll admit that I try to pay attention. I’ll admit that I don’t always succeed. I DON’T LIKE BEING HIT ON THE HEAD! It hurts!

Recently I have collided with the top of the kitchen counter, almost knocking myself out. I’ll admit that I saw stars. Thankfully I remained conscious but I had a wound on my head that lasted for a few weeks. Just the other day, I collided with an open cabinet door when I stooped to pick up stuff from the floor. Not as much damage to my body part but the area is sore to the touch. AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I’M MISSING!

I’ll admit that the floor opened up and I fell down into a deep, dark hole that I can’t get out of. Other than the cold and the snow and the gray skies, there is no reason for this depression. Thankfully we aren’t dealing with a crisis — health or money. And I’m grateful — but I’m also stuck. My intention to stick to my food plan, lose weight and exercise has fallen by the wayside. I haven’t exactly given up, but my weight gain is telling a different story.

I could blame the weather, cold, snow. I could blame the realization that I have to give up some of my dreams. We don’t have the money to travel that I hoped we would have. I wasn’t expecting to travel the world, or stay in expensive places, but even our travels in the motor home seems to be above our budget. Age, health and the economic downturn hasn’t helped. Neither is the rise in expenses and our limited income.

If I sit down and count our blessings — they are many. We are much better off than many senior citizens — we have our health, food on the table, a house to live in and a country place to run away to if the weather ever allows.

Sadly that isn’t helping to get me out of this deep, black hole. My “friends in high places” are doing their best to help. Especially if I’m out and about by myself — sadly my husband seems to be an anchor that restricts “help”. Sometimes there is too much togetherness.

Today, I was counseled to look to ancient wisdom. Robin has a stomach upset — I remembered a brew I made for Mabel, our chocolate Lab that solved the problem. While at the store, a new issue of Woman’s World caught my interest. “Calm in 20 seconds — Amazing Hawaiian stress-relief secret” promised. I’ll try!

I have ENJOYED my trips to the islands. The magazine came home with me. I wish I could imagine a lovely spot on the beach and escape — but sadly that image is blocked. I haven’t been able to use guided meditation with good results. But I’m working on it. I’m going through my library of books — realizing that there isn’t enough hours in my day to reread all of them and I found a workbook on intuition. That stayed in the keep stack and I’m planning on working through it. When I was young, my intuition might have spoke to me. I think I was embarrassed and decided not to listen. I think it is time now to reconnect to the source.

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BURIED TREASURE

I have a hard time thinking of a title for my thought rambles. Robin, our dog, gave me this title when she was digging in the snow for buried stuff. With her ability to smell under the snow, she was able to unbury many things, toss them in the air and play with them. Sometimes eat them which I found disgusting. Needless to say, I’m trying to be more careful to clean up the yard after she does her business.

If I had written about buried treasure when I first thought of the idea, I would have written about the many times we excavate our memories, sometimes finding pleasant happenings but most often the remembrance unearths pain. I will delay that thought for another time.

Yesterday I was reminded of other buried treasure when my neighbor of more than 40 years passed over. She was 91 years young and her death was not unexpected. She had been in good health until the Fall of 2013 when her independence was taken away from her and her health began to decline. Death is always hard even when it is expected. I was grateful that they phoned and I was able to stop by before the funeral parlor removed her for cremation.

What to say to the family? Other than I’m so sorry for your loss. Thanks to my father, I have a different perspective on passing over. He died in 1995, 4 days before his 85th birthday. When he passed over, within three days he let me know he was fine. Maybe it was his birthday present to me. Since that time I have become gradually aware of the “help” I receive from the other side. When the son of a friend asked me to teach him how to become “aware” I knew I couldn’t. But I could tell my stories, and I did in “Journey With Me”. Yesterday I took two copies over to my neighbors family — one for her daughter, the other for her grandson. Will it help? Will they read it? Will my neighbor help them with their life? Will they recognize her? Those questions are not for me to answer.

The interesting part of my day didn’t end there. I needed to walk to the Post Office and took Robin with me. The sidewalks, still snow covered, were safe for me to travel. The sun was out but the temperature was still in the single digits. I walked further than I planned. Returning home, I spotted a green coat in a snow bank. From the distance I thought it was a child playing. A man got out of his car and helped the figure up, then watched as the person slowly walked down the street. A woman across the street was watching. As I approached the corner, I saw the person had fallen again. Luckily the woman crossed the street and helped the man up. He said he didn’t know what was wrong. I recognized him as a person who lived across the street from our house. My children had attended school with the family. The other woman assisted him to walk home. Because of Robin, I was handicapped. We tried to get help from his family. No one answered the door. The other woman didn’t have a cell phone – mine was at home. The man said he knew his phone number. When I crossed the street with Robin, my husband met me at the front door. I got my cell phone and returned. No one answered the phone when we called. We were uncomfortable leaving him alone. I walked to the rear of the house and when no one answered the pounding on the door, I called for an ambulance and stayed with them until help arrived.

When I thanked the woman for her assistance, I mentioned that she was younger than I. She didn’t think so. I had to laugh when she told me her age. She was younger than I by 10 years. I said, “I don’t know your religious belief but we had just been used by God to help another.”

I wanted to leave a message for the family, when I remembered that one of our neighbors was good friends with the family. Luckily they answered the door when I rang the bell.

Evidently my work is not done, and neither have all my stories been written.

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PRESENTS

I was asked today what my favorite Christmas gift was by one of my daughters. I had to admit that my many gifts were not material. I started listing my favorites for this Christmas.

The first has to be that my husband’s health is improving. Although we had a health scare, it didn’t require a hospital stay and his cough is improving. Our children that are in driving distance of our home were able to join us for the celebration of Christmas — even if we celebrated on different days.

The medical personnel we encountered had my husband’s health in mind. They took their time, ran the tests and tried to investigate to the best of their abilities. Sometimes answers were not immediately apparent.

When we went to the doctor’s office. I was at the right place at the right time to share my experience with a woman who was grieving not only a son who passed many years ago but more recently a dog. I hope the stories I shared brightened her day.

Our dog is becoming more comfortable in our home. When our youngest daughter arrived with her family and two dogs — Robin met them at the door and was ready to defend her home and us. She didn’t care if Maggie, a golden retriever, was bigger. She was ready to defend us. It took a bit of time before peace reigned. Robin forgot that she had met them at Thanksgiving. They are still not friends but good playmates. What surprised me was that Robin was ready to defend me. Hopefully we will never have the need for her to defend me when we are out on a walk but it is nice to know that even though she is timid, she is ready to defend her family.

It didn’t feel like Christmas to me, in fact, on Christmas Eve I had thought about not going to church on Christmas morn. My husband decided to stay home but I changed my mind and was very glad that I did. First off, I reminded myself that it was Christ’s birthday, time to say thank you. The music was beautiful, two violinists joined the piano or organ music. The cantor had a beautiful voice. Of course, the church was beautiful. The Mass was celebrated by an older, retired priest who has a touch of dementia. I always enjoy his thoughts and homilies. He focuses on what is important to me. I have a lot to be thankful for.

I was surprised to see an older acquaintance whose health is declining. I have known the family since our youngest daughter was in kindergarten. He was sitting in a corner which was hidden from my view. At communion I helped him walk back to his seat. I also shared my blog address with his granddaughter. It might come in handy at a future date.

Christmas isn’t about material things. It is about spirit and the gifts that come from God. Those are much more valuable than worldly possessions. Hopefully my sharing of my stories brings some brightness to your day.

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MEDIUM

I’m often encouraged to write, in fact, when I don’t “my friends in high places” get impatient. They begin nudging — I wake up too early, can’t sleep, get hit on the head, etc. I DON’T LIKE GETTING HIT ON THE HEAD. I’m reminded of how important my writing is. How it makes a difference in someone’s life. I learned that a few times something I’ve written has made a difference. The rest of the time I take it on faith.

I don’t always watch television during the day. I’m usually busy — either at home or out and about. Yesterday I was reminded that if I was going to have thought rambles publish while we were gone, I had to write them. When I’m writing, the television is off so I’m not distracted. Sometimes I have music playing; often I just have background house noise. “My friends” don’t speak to me so I’m not drowning out their voices but know I’m seldom alone. They will remove my writing if it doesn’t meet with their approval. That can be FRUSTRATING!

We are still out in the country. Television stations are limited at best, reception is catch as catch can — we don’t have satellite. The day was beautiful, blue skies, sunny and warm — 73. After I wrote two thought rambles, I took our scooter out for a drive to enjoy the day. I returned in time to turn the Dr. Oz program on the television. To be honest, I didn’t sit down to watch, my activity caused me to miss most of the program until a guest caught my attention. She explained the difference between steam, water, and ice. All three substances are composed of the same material, just in different form.

The guest was the medium Theresa Caputo. She brought messages from the other side to a few people in the audience. With each message she told the receiving person that their loved one on the other side was with them, sending them signs. Each person had tears in their eyes when they received the message. Theresa knows her work is important. I AM NOT A MEDIUM! I can not bring you messages from the other side. But I was reminded when I was watching the program that my writing is important. And I’m hoping that through my thought rambles you will become more aware of the interaction between yourself and the spirit world. Hopefully you won’t get hit on the head.

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CELL PHONE

Do your electronic devices have a mind of their own? I often think that mine do, or are receiving “help” from the other side. When my father passed over, he did not have ANY experience with computers. Because of Alzheimer’s, his memory had eroded to the point where he could not learn anything new. Evidently, on his passing, his well being and mental capacity were completely restored — QUICKLY. The day of his wake, computer problems intensified. My son, a computer programmer, said a bunch of “unseen helpers” were loose at his place of business, having a party. EVERYTHING — computers, printers were having fits. That night, my daughter’s fiancée was trying to work on his college paper at our house. Our computer misbehaved so badly that he gave up. While I was writing TO PAP, WITH LOVE — my printer often jammed and the computer edited my writing, taking out sentences and paragraphs.

Why am I mentioning these things? Purpose – I want to show that I am familiar with “help” from the other side. Recently my cell phone stopped ringing; only vibrating when a phone call came in. I didn’t notice the malfunction right away. In fact, almost three days passed before I became aware of the situation. Now I will admit that I don’t receive many cell phone calls. I was waiting for a return phone call on a repair to our trailer; phone near by so I would hear the ring, when I learned of the problem. We tried everything to fix it with no success. I phoned my children, told them of the problem and asked them to call their father’s phone. We were out in the country, far from a store carrying our cell phone provider. Meanwhile, I debated on the type of phone I wanted to get. My phone is a flip camera phone. It doesn’t have access to the computer or any of the new enhancements. I don’t even text, and I use my camera for pictures — not my phone. Would my phone still be available? Would I want a new smart phone? How much would our bill increase? Good questions — no easy answer.

We were expecting our first great grand-daughter. It was very important to me that we learned of the birth as soon as she was born. Those in my family with newer phones received a text message AND A PICTURE OF THE NEW PRINCESS when she was born. Thankfully they phoned me. The baby’s grandmother phoned about an hour later — but since we were talking rather than texting — I got more details. I won’t bore you.

Another week passed. We were still in the country. I still have a phone that did not ring but I could make calls. I was still undecided as to the phone I wanted to buy. Along came my BIRTHDAY. MY PHONE RANG TWICE — when two of my children called. And it still rings when a phone call comes in.

The weather is beautiful. We are staying another week. I still don’t know if I will replace my phone, or which new one I will choose.

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REMINDED

Time passes and facts slip from my memory. To be honest, I’ve begun to notice that I forget many things. Thinking that I’m going to remember is a laugh. When it comes to important things — I’d better make a note. Especially when it involves money. Maybe that is why I am writing this BLOG!

This past weekend I was reminded of the path that I have walked and how much I have learned. Like a toddler learning — once you learn to walk, and begin to run, you forget how hard walking was.

I was attending a woman’s retreat sponsored by my youngest daughter’s church. It was not Catholic, but since I believe there is ONE GOD, I am comfortable there. The woman sitting next to me admitted she was a hermit. She wouldn’t have talked to me except I started the conversation. She was a widow of 12 years, wanting to have a man in her life again. She wanted to walk with Jesus, down a narrow road. She mentioned that she had pulled back on her activities, letting others be in charge. She seemed lonely.

I was reminded of the years when Mother Mary was always in my face. I have written about our skirmish in my book JOURNEY WITH ME — QUEEN OF HEAVEN. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do — but I RESISTED. I knew she was the MOTHER OF GOD, very Holy — I knew I could not be like her. But then our church had an Advent service, preparing for Christmas. The emphasis was on the Mother Of God, the leader who prepared the service had been in Israel — walked Mary’s path when she went to visit her cousin at the age of 16. She brought Mary to life, emphasizing her courage and determination. I realized that I might be able to be like her — a little bit. I had been very shy, not speaking to anyone unless they talked to me first. It has been YEARS since I have been a hermit. But time has passed — I’ve FORGOTTEN.

The next day, the woman was in my path again. I shared a couple of stories with her, suggesting that Jesus didn’t walk a narrow road, He was out and about, mingling with the people. Hopefully my stories helped her.

The closing words of the service referenced the Queen Of Sheba and King Solomon. Another nudge — remember!

Around that time when I was writing my first book, I attended a book signing by Janice T. Connell for her book Queen Of Angel’s. She told a story in which Janice was in Israel, at the location of the Last Supper. In the floor below, the tomb of Solomon was housed. A tall woman was very reverent at the tomb, Janice wished she shared the woman’s reverence but she wanted to go upstairs and was impatient at the delay. Some time later, Janice met Mother Mary who asked her if she recognized her at King Solomon’s tomb. When Janice replied that she didn’t and wished she could have shared Mary’s reverence, Mary told her she wasn’t Catholic, she was Jewish.

When the retreat ended, out of 800 women, I saw the woman again as we were leaving.

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