Subject:
The Angels Among Us!
Bare foot and dirty, the girl just sat and watched the people go by.
She never tried to speak, she never said a word. Many people passed,
But never did one person stop. Just so happens the next day I decided
to go back to the park, curious if the little girl would still be
there. Right in the very spot as she was yesterday she sat perched on
high, with the saddest look in her eyes.
Today I was to make my own move and walk over to the little
girl. As we all know a park full of strange people is not a place for young
children to play alone.
As I began walking towards her I could see the back of the
little girl's dress indicated a deformity. I figured that was the reason
the people just passed by and made no effort to help. As I got closer,
the little girl slightly lowered her eyes to avoid my intent stare. I
could see the shape of her back more clearly. It was grotesquely shaped in a humped
form. I smiled to let her know it was ok, I was there to help, to talk.
I sat down beside her and opened with a simple Hello. The
Little girl acted shocked and stammered a hi after a long stare into my eyes.
I smiled and she shyly smiled back. We talked 'til darkness fell and the
park was completely empty. Everyone was gone and we at once were alone
I asked the girl why she was so sad. The little girl looked at me
and with a sad face and said "Because I'm different." I immediately
said "that you are!" and smiled.
The little girl acted even sadder, she said, "I know." "Little
girl," I said, "you remind me of an angel, sweet and innocent." She looked
at me and smiled, slowly she stood to her feet, and said, "Really?"
"Yes, ma'am, you're like a little guardian angel sent to watch over all
those people walking by." She nodded her head yes and smiled, and
with that she spread her wings and said, "I am. I'm your guardian angel ,"
with a twinkle in her eye. I was speechless, sure I was seeing
things. She said, "For once you thought of someone other than yourself,
my job here is done." Immediately I stood to my feet and said, "Wait,
so why did no one stop to help an angel?"
She looked at me and smiled, "You're the only one who could see
me, and you believe it in your heart." And She was gone. And with that
my life was changed dramatically. So, when you think you're all you have,
remember, your angel is always watching over you.
The word emotion is from the Latin exmovere. It literally means an
energy an energy that moves. You've heard me say emotion is in
motion.
Our emotions are one of our basic powers. Emotions give us signals
from the body telling us of a need, a loss, a satiation. The
energy is used to help us act effectively to take care of ourselves.
Emotions are direct expressions of reality as opposed to thoughts,
which translate or analyze our experience. Emotions give important
information about what we need to do, what we want or how we
want to change.
The power to feel allows each of us to know our own unique spontaneous
reality. emotions are tools that make us fully aware of where we are
in fulfilling our needs. I sometimes hyphenate the word emotion as e-
motion in order to indicate that an emotion is an energy that moves us.
This energy(called anger), I am powerless to uphold my dignity
and self-worth.
FEAR is the energy of discernment. it raises awareness of danger zones
in terms of satisfying our basic needs.
SADNESS is the energy for saying good-bye and grieving loss.
Life is a prolonged farewell, and therefore it is necessary to
continuously say good-bye and complete cycles of growth. Grief and
sadness give us energy to complete the past. Saying goodbye to
infancy and toddler hood is essential in order to grow into the
latency period of school age. Saying good-bye to school is essential in
order for us to make our way and take our place in the world. Growth
demands a continual dying and rebirth. grief is the “healing Feeling."
GUILT is the energy that forms our conscience. It is our moral shame.
Without this energy, we would act shamelessly ad become sociopathic
and psychopathic. Guilt allows us to stand for something and to have
internal value system that leads to action and commitment.
SHAME is the energy that lets us know we are limited and infinite.
Shame allows us to make mistakes and lets us know we need help. Shame
is the source of spirituality. This is very different from he neurotic
shame induced by poisonous pedagy. That shame is no longer e-motion;
it has become a core of our identity
Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the
way, she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son Michael, prepare
for a new sibling. They found out that the new baby is going to be a
girl, and day after day, night after night, Michael sings to his sister
in Mommy's tummy.
The pregnancy progresses normally for Karen, an active member of the
Panther Creek United Methodist church in Morristown, TN. Then the labor
pains came. Every five minutes...every minute.
But complications arise during delivery. Hours of labor. Would a c-
section be required?
Finally, Michael's little sister is born. But she is in serious
condition. With sirens howling in the night, the ambulance rushes the
infant to the neonatal intensive care unit at St.Mary's hospital,
Knoxville, TN.
The days inch by. The little girl gets worse. The pediatric specialist
tells the parents, "There is very little hope. Be prepared for the
worst."
Karen and her husband contact a local cemetery about a burial plot. They
have fixed up a special room in their home for the new baby and now
they plan a funeral.
Michael keeps begging his parents to let him see his sister. "I want to
sing to her," he says.
Week two in intensive care. It looks as if a funeral will come before
the week is over.. Michael keeps nagging about singing to his sister,
but kids are never allowed in Intensive Care. But Karen makes up her
mind.
She will take Michael whether they like it or not. If he doesn't see his
sister now, he may never see her alive. She dresses him in an oversized
scrub suit and marches him into ICU. He looks like a walking laundry
basket, but the head nurse recognizes him as a child and bellows, "Get
that kid out of here now! No children are allowed!"
The mother rises up strong in Karen, and the usually mild-mannered lady
glares steel-eyed into the head nurse's face, her lips a firm line.
"He is not leaving until he sings to his sister!"
Karen tows Michael to his sister's bedside. He gazes at the tiny infant
losing her battle to live. And he begins to sing. In the pure hearted
voice of a 3-year-old, Michael sings: "You are my sunshine, my only
sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray - - -"
Instantly the baby girl responds. The pulse rate becomes calm and steady
"Keep on singing, Michael."
"You never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my
sunshine away- - -"
The ragged, strained breathing becomes as smooth as a kitten's purr.
"Keep on singing, Michael."
"The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my
arms..."
Michael's little sister relaxes as rest, healing rest, seems to sweep
over her.
"Keep on singing, Michael."
Tears conquer the face of the bossy head nurse. Karen glows.
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. Please don't take my sunshine
away."
Funeral plans are scrapped. The next day - - - the very next day, the
little girl is well enough to go home! Woman's Day magazine called it
"the miracle of a brother's song".
The medical staff just called it a miracle. Karen called it a miracle of
God's love!
NEVER GIVE UP ON THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE
God grant me the Senility
to forget the people
I never liked anyway,
the good fortune
to run into the ones I do,
and the eyesight
to tell the difference.
by Swami Beyondananda
Be a Fundamentalist -- make sure the Fun always comes before the mental.
Realize that life is a situation comedy that will never be canceled. A
laugh track has been provided, and the reason why we are put in the
material world is to get more material. Have a good laugh twice a day,
and that will ensure regular hilarity.
Remember that each of us has been given a special gift, just for
entering -- so you are already a winner!
The most powerful tool on the planet today is Tell-A-Vision. That is
where I tell a vision to you, and you tell a vision to me. That way, if
we don't
like the programming we're getting, we can simply change the channel.
Life is like photography. You use the negative to develop. And, no
matter what adversity you face, be reassured: Of course God loves you -
- He's ready to make a commitment.
It is true. As we go through life thinking heavy thoughts, thought
particles tend to get caught between the ears, causing a condition
called truth decay. So be sure to use mental floss twice a day. And
when you're tempted to practice tantrum yoga, remember what we teach in
Swami's Absurdiveness Training class: *Don't get even, get odd.*
If we want world peace, we must let go of our attachments and truly live
like nomads. That's where I no mad at you, you no mad at me. That way,
there'll surely be nomadness on the planet. And peace begins with each
of us. A little peace here, a little peace there, pretty soon all the peaces will
fit together to make one big peace everywhere.
I know great earth changes have been predicted for the future, so if
you're looking to avoid earthquakes, my advice is simple. When you find
a fault, just don't dwell on it.
There's no need to change the world. All we have to do is toilet train
the world, and we'll never have to change it again.
If you're looking to find the key to the Universe, I have some bad news
and some good news. The bad news is: there is no key to the Universe.
The good news is: it has been left unlocked.
Finally, everything I have told you is channeled. That way, if you
don't like it, it's not my fault. And remember, enlightenment is not a
bureaucracy. So we don't have to go through channels.
-- by Swami Beyondananda
*** ******* ******** *********
"FACE IT, nobody owes you a living.
What you achieve, or fail to achieve in your lifetime,
is directly related to what YOU do.
No one chooses his or her parents or childhood, but
you can choose your own direction.
Everyone has problems and obstacles to overcome, but, that, too
is relative to each individual.
NOTHING IS CARVED IN STONE!
If YOU want to change something in your life,
YOU can. Are you willing to?
Those who take responsibility for their actions
are the real winners in life.
TIME PLAYS NO FAVORITES AND WILL PASS WHETHER YOU ACT OR NOT.
The Bottom Line?
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF"
If You Can......
... If you can start the day without
caffeine or pep pills,
... If you can be cheerful, ignoring aches
and pains,
... If you can resist complaining and boring
people with your troubles,
... If you can eat the same food everyday
and be grateful for it,
... If you can understand when loved ones
are too busy to give you time
... If you can overlook when people take
things out on you,
when through no fault of your own
something goes wrong,
... If you can take criticism and blame
without resentment,
... If you can face the world without lies
and deceit,
... If you can conquer tension without
medical help,
... If you can relax without liquor,
... If you can sleep without the aid of
drugs,
... If you can truly say that you wake each
morning with undying loyalty
to everyone you know,
... If you can find great happiness in the
simplest things in life,
… If you can forgive any action in the
blink of an eye,
....Then, you are almost as good as your
dog.
We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married,
have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't
old enough and we'll be more content when they are. After that we're
frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be
happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life
will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we
get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire. The
truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right now. If not now,
when?
Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this
to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. One of my favorite quotes
comes from Alfred D. Souza. He said, "For a long time it had seemed to
me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some
obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some
unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid, then
life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were life
."
This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness.
Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have. Treasure
it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to
spend your time..... and remember that time waits for no one...
So stop waiting until you finish school, until you lose ten pounds,
until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until your kids leave
the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married
, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning,
until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off,
until spring, until fall, until winter, until you are off welfare, until
the first or fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you've had a
drink, until you sober up, until you die, until you are born again to
decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy...
Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
Thought for the day:
Work like you don't need money Love like you've never been hurt And
dance like no one's watching.