The Girl Who Moved to Italy

One of my favorite things to do is follow my daughter Rachel around as she makes her way in the world.

Rachel has always been adventurous. She first moved to Lansing, Michigan to attend Michigan State University, then trekked to Lafayette, Indiana for an extended stay while she got her master’s and doctoral degrees. After that she relocated to Lincoln, Nebraska to join the Communication Department at Nebraska Wesleyan University. It wasn’t very long after her move to Lincoln that Rachel bought a home there and became very busy in her off-teaching hours painting and refurbishing the place. After a couple of years Rachel was ready to enjoy another new extended travel experience and so, when an opportunity came up for her to experience a sabbatical year, she opted for Florence, Italy.

As her mother, I was excited and intrigued for her but also concerned. The girl did not speak Italian. Not at all. She aspired to learn some Italian before her move but only had the time to pick up a little of the language so I was very concerned that she would find herself in a country where she had no idea what was going on. I tried persistently to interest her in the idea of living somewhere where there was a housemother who spoke both English and Italian but Rachel was having none of it. She wanted a true Italian experience. She wanted to live in an authentic Italian apartment and encounter Italy on her own. Our gently spirited discussions ended in a compromise when she informed me she would be taking out special insurance so that she could be helicoptered to the states should there be a need for emergency help.

And so Rachel’s Italian sabbatical began. She moved to Florence in August and August in Florence is so hot that MOST of the residents leave the city for cooler places. In addition to the heat, there was an infestation at that time of some unique mosquitoes…..a species which apparently found Rachel especially delicious. And, by the way, there was no air conditioning in Rachel’s Italian apartment. She had to sleep (and did so with good humor) under a special netting and, if her toes stuck out by accident, you can bet the mosquitoes would find them.

At this point Rachel decided it was time to really work at learning the language. She enrolled in an intensive course to take on this challenge …however, it turned out the course was taught in Italian. Nearly all of the students in the class were from Europe and already spoke a couple of languages and had decided to take the beginning course for fun. Rachel reported that she felt like a bottom feeder. Good for her soul, she said. By the time the four weeks were up Rachel was able to speak enough Italian to make her way through Italy and she also had made some new acquaintances.

And so there Rachel was…in a foreign country…speaking passable Italian, not really knowing for sure what was always being reported on the news, walking everywhere (Italian style)…on her own, bringing home her food each day from the market.. And she loved it. She loved the solitude and breathing space.

After a while, Rachel felt the need for more human interaction and began to investigate opportunities to make connections. Interestingly enough, she found her best connection to be an Anglican Church where new visitors received the royal treatment. She met wonderful people (from England!) and also some Italians there and became fast friends with the minister and his wife and their children (eventually, becoming a trusted babysitter for the little one). Through these connections, she met even more people, had more conversations, more lunches and coffees, more Italian dinners with engaging discussions that lasted for hours. Her social calendar was very full and with these personal contacts and her forays into the culture and landscape of the city and country and her attendance at cultural events... and the book she was writing, Rachel had a full and rich Italian life.

I was so pleased to learn of her adventures.

One of the things I have always told Rachel is that I do not worry about her because wherever she goes, she makes a beautiful life for herself.

And that very point, I believe, is one of Rachel’s gifts to the world. Her openness to new experiences, her thirst for new knowledge, her appreciation of diversity, her wonderful communication skills, her confidence in herself and her ability to deal with life and appreciate all that it has to offer, her compassion for others and her joy in experiencing their company.

And when I ask myself, what is the MESSAGE of Rachel’s experience for all of us, I think it is this:

the opportunity to make a beautiful life for ourselves wherever we choose to go, wherever we are planted...for we are the gardeners who determine whether the flower of our lives smiles into the sun, gently accepts the soft breezes and gusty winds alike, sends out vibrations of love to those who encounter us and rests when the metaphorical sun goes down.

Perhaps one of life’s greatest challenges is to recognize the glorious opportunities surrounding us, to see the potential we have to bring into our consciousness all that we want to experience and MAKE THIS BEAUTIFUL LIFE FOR OURSELVES WHEREVER WE ARE!



Postscript:

This year finds Rachel on another sabbatical…this time in Galway, Ireland and, as usual, I will be there (for the next two weeks or so) to experience the beauty she has already discovered!

Incoming Message!

Incoming message!!! Red alert. All hands on deck. This is what we’ve been waiting for. Keep the channel open…no stray thoughts or monkey mind. We are on course here. Yes!!!!!!

How’s that for a Good Morning Message? This was my welcome as I drifted into wakefulness today. I lay in a haze for a little while when suddenly I realized the meaning of that dynamic scene.

Finally, it seems I have solved a problem that’s been plaguing me for forever (excuse the drama…it’s how my emotions like to make themselves known).

The issue is: What does my Higher Self look like and feel like? And now I realize that I have been imagining the stereotype version of this heavenly entity…serene, serious, quiet, awesome and peaceful. Today, I am getting that this is not the complete picture of my Higher Self. At least, it‘s not the picture I am meant to have. All of those qualities are there, undoubtedly, but my Higher Self which has been waiting to be discovered is also full of …I can’t even think of the right words for it…let me try…it’s full of color and I mean COLOR and FUN and CREATIVITY and SILLINESS…SUPREME SILLINESS and this feels right to me. Like it’s something I’ve been waiting to recognize.

Here’s what I think brought this on.

I fell off a chair a week ago.

I’m not even going to tell you how or why I did it because I don’t know how or why. Not that I didn’t try to figure it out. Oh, yes, I gave it my best shot. But it remains a mystery. Something I have to embrace, apparently.

So I have been struggling this week, trying to do all of the right things…bringing in my Higher Self to help with the healing. But it’s been hard to do that. When I am experiencing pain, I find it tremendously challenging to go to a place of serenity. However, thankfully, this morning when I awoke I was treated to a delightful vision of my cells having a conversation. They were hard at work puffing up something (I'm not sure what) so that my body would not experience the trauma of the fall. And they were talking about me. They were so happy I had finally found them. They were filled with love for me…unconditional love and compassion for my struggles. They were 100% rooting for me, no…1000% rooting for me (remember, I am a drama queen both in the 3rd dimension and in my Higher Self). And they knew that a message was coming in that I needed to receive and record.

This picture felt right. It felt consoling. It made me happy. My Higher Self is a riot! It took me a long time to figure this out. And now that I have, I am filled with joy and welcoming and relief and gratitude.

Everything is working for me. All is well. Regardless of what has occurred, my Higher Self (in this case, expressed as the cells in my body) is there for me…waiting for direction, delighted to help, wanting to help. And...now... it's no effort to call in this image…I’m sure it will appear in my consciousness all by itself as needed.

I am filled with a new energy by this exciting picture. My Higher Self gave me what I needed to get up and let this message express itself through my writing. Thank you is my response. Thank you…and I’ll have more. This article started writing itself while I was still in bed and I could hardly get to the computer quickly enough to get it down. I am not composing this. I am sending it on to you from a GLORIOUS SOURCE. It’s your present…I've already received mine!

What If?

Come along with me for a moment on a lovely sojourn into What If Land. Imagine yourself in the midst of heavenly moments that soothe and silken your soul. Hear and see and intuit the many love messages coming to you from EVERYWHERE.

What if…you could find in every person and in everything you encountered a message of love coming directly to you! What if…you believed that Love is the guiding principle of the universe and that it cannot be otherwise. What if…you only had to learn to lift the green leaves and ivy (metaphorically speaking) to find the heart of each flower! What a lovely and delightful occupation!

Perhaps the love message is the knowingness that you are truly being listened to. Perhaps it is the effort put into running errands for you. Perhaps the love is the time someone takes to read what you have written and respond to it... or the effort someone makes to prepare a meal for you that you simply adore…or take you shopping…or share coffee with you…or take your hand and simply hold it…or make you laugh at the silly moments in life...or give you a friendly response in the grocery store…or even bark at you in line because you looked like someone who could safely take in someone’s pain…or give you little child hugs that last forever…or try consistently to become a better friend to you or a better partner or parent or child…or tell you exactly how they feel (no matter what that is), giving you the gift of their authenticity…or use the words…I love you so much.

What if…we could learn to find that message of love in every moment. What if?

The Second Guitar

One of the coolest ways to demonstrate resonance is to use two guitars. Pluck a string on one of the guitars. Now lightly touch the same string on the second guitar. It will be vibrating because it has the same frequency as the string you plucked.

Paradigm Shift


Resonance is a principle of life. We all resonate based on matching vibrations. And this fact can be observed very readily in interpersonal relationships. We can be very susceptible to the vibrations expressed around us. Been around a happy person and found yourself smiling? Ever been around someone mired in gloom and found yourself dropping into that vibration? And what about someone who’s making judgmental statements and attacking you? How easy it is to play back the “sound of the string” you just heard!

If, however, you can take a deep breath and hold your center, cut through the outward expression you are hearing and realize that any negativity being manifested is coming from fear or pain, perhaps you can reach into the beautiful and gentle pool of compassion and ask someone if he is experiencing some difficulty…ask, perhaps, if you can be of some help…and, at any rate, listen with a kind and loving heart to what the person needs to express…even if it comes out in emotional, raw language…even if it is difficult to hear. If the person senses your caring and concern, he may, indeed, speak his truth and, thereby, release some of the pain he is holding onto. Perhaps your kindness can help unmask its unsettling disguise and, like an alchemist, transform the erratic energy of the moment into the soft sound of love being given and received.

When you find yourself face to face with an uncomfortable or awkward or upsetting situation, ask yourself: What would Love do? If love is your guiding principle there is no place you can go where you will not make beautiful music. Let your “Second Guitar” play its own melody…the melody of your caring heart!

The Power of Creation

Same old, same old. How often have you heard that phrase? The reason it gets said so frequently is because that is how we often process the messages coming in. “Oh, yeah, I’ve heard that before…sounds like too much work, or, it won’t work for me…or, I don’t have the energy to think about that.” And so life goes on and we go on, missing the really powerful messages that could launch us into a new way of thinking and acting…getting us to the place we say we want to be.

This morning I sat down at my computer and read something that I’ve heard many times before, but for some reason today bells are ringing, angels singing and, this time, I am really taking in the message. (Kudos to my spiritual support system for the beautiful clues coming in and for helping me to recognize them.)

And here it is:

We manifest what we think about and since we are thinking all of the time, that means we are manifesting all of the time as well. According to the website Paradigm Shift, we have, on the average, 50,000 thoughts a day. How many of these thoughts are focused directly on the beautiful things we want to bring into our lives? And how many are expressions of concern, anxiety, regret, distress?

What holds your attention during the day? The dishwasher that needs to be repaired? The budget that has boomeranged off its course? The emails you haven’t had time to send? The book you really wanted but never bought? The call you haven’t made to address an unresolved issue with someone? The exercise regimen you never got to?

These worries and concerns have possibly become default paths to us. Perhaps we do spend some time dreaming about and wishing for the things we want to manifest but, most of the time, we may be concerning ourselves with the category of NOT FINISHED on our to-do lists. It takes focused intention and a very conscious effort to direct our attention to the positive things we want to bring into our lives 100% of the time.

And there’s more to consider.

To really manifest the abundance we want we need to use not only our brain but also our HEART and here’s the reason:

Your brain opens the doorway to infinite intelligence while your heart does the actual communicating…producing a field of electromagnetic energy that aligns with the energy of the universe.

Paradigm Shift

Here’s why this formula works:

Emotions transform energy.

Energy creates movement.

Movement is change

and

Change is the essence of life.

LifeLine Law of Transformation

Who would be able to do something like this? Someone who stays centered by taking really good care of him or herself (gets enough rest, eats mindfully and wisely, communes with nature, LIVES IN THE MOMENT…you get the drift).

An ambitious undertaking, undoubtedly, but what an astounding payoff to be able to focus and concentrate 24-7 on our hopes and dreams with a beautiful clarity of vision and the emotions to support them!

We do create our lives and this reminder coming into my computer (and from me to you via your computer) is singing that amazing truth to all of us.

If we focus our thoughts every moment on the beautiful things we want to bring into our path and open our hearts to the emotions of our desires, we will align ourselves with the majestic power of the entire universe, claiming our true role as the inspiration for our own lives.

Every moment of your life is infinitely creative and the Universe is endlessly bountiful. Just put forth a clear enough request, and everything your heart desires must come to you.

Shakti Gawain

Take Off Your Glasses and See*

I am willing to bet that each of us gets one or two blockbuster ideas somewhere along our life path that are totally transforming. One of mine occurred approximately two years ago when I began doing LifeLine sessions with Georgiann Voissem, a Certified LifeLine Practitioner. My connection to LifeLine actually began a couple of years before that date when I had jotted down in my notes the name of a book, The Power of Infinite Love and Gratitude by Dr. Darren Weissman, and a brief paragraph describing it. I have no clear recollection of when I had written this down or under what circumstances but it was unusual for me to write anything more on that page than the title of a book I had heard about somewhere. And so that powerful notation sat in my notebook, waiting for me to rediscover it at the perfect time. And when I did come to it two years later when I was wrestling with a constriction in my throat that turned out to be stress related, it was exactly what I needed.

At that time it was near Christmas and I had decided to put the book on my Christmas list. But something was urging me to follow through right then, so I bought the book immediately, read it, decided to find a Certified LifeLine Practitioner and that’s when I discovered Georgiann Voissem and my awesome journey began.

A little background on LifeLine:

It’s a philosophy, science, and quantum technology that bridges gaps between the conscious and subconscious mind. At the root of every symptom, stress and disease is a subconscious emotional pattern of reaction. When activated this pattern of reaction will cause both behavioral and biological stressors. The cornerstone of the LifeLine Technique is our view of symptoms, stress and disease. Rather than something being wrong with a person; symptoms, stress and disease are the language your body and life use to awaken you to your authentic power of transformation and create change.

DrDarrenWeissman.com


I have learned so many things from my work with Georgiann and LifeLine, but, undoubtedly, the most important lesson I have learned is this:

Whenever we are upset or disturbed about something, whenever we have a REACTION to an experience or incident, the only thing we need to pay attention to is what we are feeling. It does not matter what was said or done or who said it or did it, the lesson here is about what is going on inside us because if we are feeling disturbing emotions, this is an indication that we have unhealed pain.

And this reaction, this upset, disturbing feeling is gifting us with an awareness of where we need to do some work on ourselves. When unhealed pain is left alone, it will begin to make itself known through our negative emotions and, eventually, through problems in our physical health.

The unhealed pain is a doorway to a transformation which is freeing and full of energy and grace. I have come to believe that the person(s) or circumstance(s) that help us bring the unhealed pain to our attention are functioning as mirrors. They are REFLECTIONS to us of ourselves, as we are to them. And, here, I go even further…I have also come to believe that the behavior of someone we find so irritating, so annoying, so hurtful comes from a sacred pact made with this individual on a spiritual level to help us have an experience of awakening. Individuals who seem to have caused us the most grief have taken on a special assignment of love. They are helping us travel our life path. The potential good that comes from our realization of this and from our determination to work on our unhealed issues is nothing short of life altering and can bring such peace and freedom.

I realize this is not the normal way we tend to view the behavior of people and events that anger and upset us. Typically, we feel that something is being done to us. But the lesson here is that we are all One…we are here for each other…to help each other… only we are masquerading in very creative, adventurous and sometimes upsetting disguises while this process goes on.

Things are not being done to us, but rather for us. That very slight change of preposition represents the difference between feeling attacked, betrayed, hurt or angered and learning lessons about ourselves and healing what has so far remained unhealed.

When I began to look at life in this way (and it is not an easy transition, especially initially), my view of the world changed and my clear understanding was born regarding how we are all in this together. I now anticipate and expect new and important knowledge to come into my life by way of upsetting moments. I am determined to wrestle with the emotions and the new insights and learn something different about myself that will alter the way I feel and live.

In the end, it IS all about us and not to hurt or injure us but rather to help us heal. What a powerful moment when we can take off our “glasses” and SEE!


*title of this article borrowed from the book of the same name by Jacob Liberman