Spirit

My heart was in my throat every time I turned on the news praying I would hear that the twelve boys and their coach were rescued after two weeks deep in the cave in Thailand.  I sent them pure Divine Light and Love every time I thought of them.  One morning first thing, I heard that all thirteen had been rescued, were in the hospital for evaluation and isolation due to possible spores breathed and other things encountered while in the cave, and they all initially appeared to be in good health.  I said many prayers of gratitude to Spirit.

 

For the diver who died while delivering oxygen tanks, I sent and continue sending pure Divine Light and Love to him as he continues his journey, to his family as they grieve, and to all those around the world affected by the loss of such a brave soul.  The greatest gift one can give is to lay down their life for another.  Spirit opening our hearts and souls to the beauty of this being.

 

Before they were rescued, I read that the interim head of Thailand said that they would celebrate when all of them were rescued, in good health, and returned home.  This said a lot to me that it was all important, not just the step of being rescued.  The value of completing a journey that changed all of their lives was of great importance.  It was a spiritual journey of great magnitude for each and all of them.  One that I am guessing will unfold in greater awareness as time goes on with the realization of what they experienced.  A journey that may bond them for life.

 

It felt so clearly led by Spirit to have a Coach that had spent years in a monastery, learning to connect with Spirit, and who learned to meditated daily.  During the time in the cave, he taught the boys how to meditate to connect in with Spirit to allay their fears.  This will serve these boys throughout their lives every time fear comes up if they choose to use it.  The words of encouragement he spoke to them while they were in the cave will be remembered and used when situations of fear present themselves in their future.  They gained tools for life during this experience.  What a huge gift!

 

For the Coach it must have taken great spiritual mastery to be the anchor to which twelve boys were tethered.  To maintain one’s inner strength, trust in Spirit, and do the things necessary to keep them all alive, as healthy as possible, and as uplifted as possible was probably the greatest spiritual test he had ever had.  To me it all seemed in Divine Order that he was with them!

 

I heard rumors that the Thailand Police were wanting to arrest the Coach for endangering the boys’ lives and indirectly causing the death of one of the divers.  I also heard that the parents of the boys said no to that as the Coach’s heart would need healing when he came out.  The Coach may carry the weight of the journey into the cave, the days and nights spent there with those boys, the death of the one diver, and the mammoth worldwide rescue efforts with him for the rest of his life.  Or he may know that he was called by Spirit to be the one to walk beside the boys as they each went through their own spiritual journey no matter the personal cost to him.  Through the parents, Spirit may be calling for a greater level of love, compassion and healing rather than punishment.  It will be interesting to see what prevails in this situation, one or the other, or a blending.

 

This brought up the thought of how American parents would have handled the situation.  Would there have been a lot of drama, 24-hour media frenzy to analyze, judge, criticize, invade personal privacy, and project actions?  Would there have been a demand for punishment, lawsuits, rallies, protests?  Would the parents have prepared their sons for situations similar to this before they ever got into a situation?  Would the parents have called for love, compassion, and healing rather than punishment?  Would the police immediately have arrested the Coach while in the hospital and had him under guard until he could be released into their custody?  Would race, color, etc., have played into the situation?  Would the Coach have needed to be in protective custody as his life might have been threatened by an outraged parent or group?  Some of the guesses I came up with were like a mirror to our society that showed me we have great opportunities for spiritual growth if only we will take them.

 

Then I asked myself as a Mother and Grandmother what would I have done had it been my son or grandsons.  I would have been sending pure Divine Light and Love to mine and all immediately and continuously.  I would have been praying every time I thought about any of them, thanking Spirit for their safety and well-being.  I would have wanted to provide food, drink or whatever those working to rescue needed.  I would have wanted to be a source of encouragement, peace, and calm.  I would have wanted personal privacy.

 

The parents of my son and grandsons prepared them for different situations by taking them on wilderness hikes, water-skiing, snow skiing, by teaching them to listen to and pay attention to signs of danger no matter the source, by supporting them through becoming Eagle Scouts, by teaching them to be loving and compassionate within themselves and with their fellow mates through sports, interactions with relatives and friends, by individually being who the parents were, and by healing them in whatever way they needed any time they were injured whether it be physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually.  Most importantly, they would have prepared them by making mistakes, accepting the consequences, and changing themselves.  Spirit walking beside and inside them all the way and each listening and following through.  They gave them foundations with which to survive and to thrive, if they so choose.  I believe they would have survived had they been in the cave.

 

The magnitude of the journey of those in the cave, of my son and grandsons, and of all of us is simply magnificent to me from a spiritual point of view.  Some would call it a miracle, others would say it is science at work, others it is the rescuers saving them, and so forth.  Whatever label is applied, my soul rejoices at the beautiful ending of this journey into and out of the cave with the opportunity for the world to work together for the good of all.

 

A moment in time when our hearts, souls and prayers came together in hope, encouragement, love, and joy!  Blessings beyond our knowing!

 

May we continue to live this moment!

 

Reggie sat beside me while I was watching the news and when information about the those in the cave would come on.  He would be still and quiet, sensing how deeply connected I was to all of it.  Nancy and Reggie♥

Every day I do as much as I can.  When I was a child, I would do only what I had to do and then quickly leave before something else was found for me to do.  As I grew in age and spiritual maturity it came to me that I wanted to do as much as I could each day.

This is the only day I have, in fact, this is the only moment I have, so I bring Spirit into each of these moments to assist me in doing as much as I can.  Information flows from Spirit letting me know what is mine to do, and that is all I need to do.

There were times in the past when I would do my work and then immediately and automatically involve myself in helping someone else.  It was theirs to do, not mine, and my involving myself exhausted me and prevented them from doing what was theirs to do for their own spiritual growth.

So, I start each day doing what is mine to do, awakening with gratitude to Spirit for a wonderful night’s sleep, my comfortable bed, my home, and my precious Reggie dog by me.  I get up, make my bed, take Reggie out, feed him, then exercise, lift weights, and get ready for my day.  I walk Reggie, eat breakfast, then write or answer emails on the computer, play in the garden, and do whatever else comes to me.  There are times when I sit down to read, meditate, watch TV, or just be for a bit to rest my body, mind, and spirit.  Spirit guides me to balance my work and play.

I thank Spirit for each step of this process that I am able and willing to do all of these things by myself, that my body is fit, my mind is sharp, and I stay open.

At the end of the day, I am complete as I have listened to and allowed Spirit to guide me, and I know I have done as much as I can.  I feel deep contentment and peace in my soul.

Reggie has a keen sense of what is his to do and talking with the neighborhood dogs seems to be high on his list.  First thing in the morning, he goes out in the yard, sniffs to see who has been there overnight, and starts barking letting the other dogs know.  During the day, when someone is coming up or down the walk, he will start barking, then the other dogs in the neighborhood join in.  Spirit, through me, guides him to stop barking at times due to the early or late hour, or barking for too long.  When all is well in his world, he lays down and takes a nap.  Each moment, we are each doing as much as we can with Spirit’s guidance showing us the way.  Nancy and Reggie♥

For the past week, I have been volunteering at a church to help set up a huge Rummage Sale.  This is the first time I have volunteered for a larger organization.  In the past, I volunteered for family or friends, small church or work functions, or set up my own yard or garage or moving sales and handled everything myself, or with my deceased husband’s help.

 

This is an amazing experience with Spirit present every moment.  I chose to work in the household area where the kitchen things were.  I know this area intimately.  People bring in donations in boxes, bags, or in their hands and set them outside the church’s events room.  Then others sort through the items and bring them to the appropriate area on a cart.  Those working in the area take them off the cart, set them on the floor or a table.

 

There is a tremendous amount of donated goods from clothes, shoes, children’s toys, fine crystal and china, holiday decorations, jewelry, bedding, table linens, bathroom items, furniture, appliances, sporting goods, books, office items to unusual things.

 

The volunteers start unpacking, sorting, and setting the items on the various tables.  In the household area, there were tables for glasses, cups, plates, knick-knacks, microwaves, toasters, coffee and expresso makers, mixers, and so forth.  It is a lot of work to get things set up just right.  Some of the donated items had to be thrown away as they came broken, too well-used, or not sellable.  Some of the items were so dirty they had to be washed, so the buyer could see what they were getting.

 

The women in household area shared laughs, opinions, memories, and touching moments.  We bonded in a way that will keep us close after the sale is over.  Such beautiful gifts of Spirit to give each other – smiles, praise, advice, humor.

 

We would unpack and put things on a specific table.  Then the next day, they would be moved to a different table to better display them.  Then once they were all displayed on the appropriate tables we would go back and price every item or groups of items.  Appliances were checked to make certain they worked.  If they didn’t they were thrown away.  On Saturday, prices were cut in half to help sell them.

 

Every day at noon, the church made a delicious lunch for the volunteers.  This was a lovely way to get to know each other better.  It warmed my heart to listen to the various men and women talking about the sale, their lives, families, and so forth.  It brought back memories of the church community I had as a child growing up.  Everyone working together and having fun.  I gave a silent thank you to Spirit for encouraging me to volunteer at this church and for the opportunity to make new friends.

 

During the sale on Friday and Saturday, the church volunteers barbequed hot dogs and hamburgers for sale for the public.  Such a fun offering of love for the public.

 

The sale commenced for the church people on Wednesday evening from 6 to 9 pm, for the public on Thursday from 4 to 8 pm, Friday from 8 am to 4 pm, and Saturday from 8 am to 3 pm.  From noon to 3 pm on Saturday is $2 a Bag time where people can put as much as they can get in the bag and the price is $2.  After 3 pm, area nonprofits are invited in to take whatever they want that is left.  If things remain after that, they will be donated to the Salvation Army or Goodwill or wherever else is appropriate.

 

Spirit in action through every step of this Rummage Sale – people releasing things no longer needed, someone getting them for a good price, church members working together in cooperation and love making sure the best was made ready for the community, charities receiving goods to assist yet more people, the church making money to support itself, and church volunteers bonding in work and love.

 

This is the heart of a church home to me, the heart of living the love that I have inside myself to help others, and the church.  It would not make any difference where I volunteered whether at a church, work, in my neighborhood, for family or a friend, an organization, or at a store.  This is Spirit in action expressed with love through me.

 

Reggie did his part while I was volunteering as he napped and protected the house and property.  He is ready to love on me, play with me, and eat lunch or dinner with me when I return.  Spirit in action with my beautiful little dog.  Nancy and Reggie♥