Hugs

For your consideration….

Today…for the first time since I can remember…I did not meditate for our message. Instead I am sharing an experience I had this morning. I think my experience holds a message or reminder for all of us. Bare with me while I tell my story. I think the ending will have meaning for you.

I always try to focus on my blessings. When I find myself back sliding, I quickly try to turn myself around. Suffice to say this past week has been hard, hard, hard.

Let me give you a few of things that have been thrown in my path…just the majors. Last Saturday my sister-in-law called to tell me that our other sister-in-law had been involved in a tragic accident where there was a fatality. While she sustained relatively minor injuries, she is devastated that someone died.

Tuesday I went to school. The teacher I was subbing for was there and explained that her students are “chatty.” This is not unusual but it is unusual for them then not to stop with prompting. I had one of the student write me a note and slip it to me saying, “I’m sorry for my class but really they are always like this.” Yikes. To top it off the teacher team teaches with another teacher who also had a sub. They switch students in the afternoon. The trouble was they had not compared notes and their lessong plans did not agree. Ultimately, the other teacher’s plans said they got to out for recess at the end of the day. Of course, there was no way my students could pull it together when everyone else got to go out. So I let them go out. While outside, I hear another sub call out to me for help. When I reached him he said he had to pull my girl off of another. She had refused to stop on command and continued punching the other girl in the face. WHAT? I get their stories. Of course, they do not agree. There is absolutely zero tolerance for violence in school. I took them both to the office which is something I hate to do.

I came home and sat down to rest and saw that my niece had been calling me. I thought it was probably about her mother’s accident. When we finally connected, it was to tell me her sister, Catherine, had passed. My heart aches for our family and especially for Catherine’s mom, sisters, children and husband. I got arrangement info yesterday while my kiddos were in gym and was able to get flights out. Things are looking up.

I woke up this morning. It was still dark out. So I got up to use the restroom fully intending to go back to bed. I picked up my phone to see what time it was and saw that I had missed a message from my daughter at 3:00 am. It was now 6:00 am. I opened it to see that her sweet precious 5 year old niece, Vivian had passed into God’s hands. Vivian has fought DIPG for the past two years which is long for children with it.

And so I finally lost it. I had uncontrollable tears for this sweet precious child, her amazing parents and entire family. I attempted to lay back down. As I set my phone down on my nightstand, I heard the voice of Rev. Elvia Roe whom I studied with. I picked it back up and saw that a recording was playing of readings she had done. I hear her say, something I say here, even if the message is for someone else, often there are pieces of it that are for other people as well. You are hearing or reading it for a reason. As I listened to the readings, I could relate to many of them but then she did one about death and dying. Yes, I was hearing it for a reason.

I don’t know how that recording started playing. I don’t need to know. What I do know is that it was also meant for me. What I do know, why I’ve shared so much about my week, is that God, our angels and Guidance always have us. They are always there 24/7 to grab us up, wrap us in their wings and hold us…support us…tell us what we need to hear, if we want to listen.

That is the HOPE. And so it is.

Bit by bit, piece by piece, HOPE by HOPE action steps anyone….

-Affirm…“I am loved.”

-Meditate/pray…ask…”What is my next step for my highest good and the highest good of all?

-Drink lots of water.

-Get outdoors and take in at least 10 deep breaths.

-Let our Guidance comfort us.

What made me smile yesterday…

-My young 5’s. Just when you think they are never going to get it…ahhh the lights come on.

-The weather looked iffy but we were able to go out for both of our recesses.

-Catching up with both my girls.

-An early bedtime.

Love, Blessings and Gratitude,

Rev. Chris