Everyday Miracles

We've likely all experienced what we call a "miracle" in our lives. Someone recovers from a grave illness, the job we wanted comes through or the deadly storm safely passes over our house...all good reasons to celebrate and declare a "miracle" has occurred.

I experienced a miracle today.

My husband and I get up a little after 4am most mornings now. He gets ready and starts his commute by 4:30am. I get up, pack his lunch, give him a kiss and the cat and I start our morning meditation. This morning, I was still a little sleepy and accidentally spilled bright red liquid B12 syrup on his clean beige shirt...less than five minutes before he was to leave for work. 

Oh. My. God.

He's not a "morning" person. He hates to be late for anything, much less his job. He's timed his daily routine so each second is orchestrated to allow maximum sleep and minimal time to get ready before he heads for the car.

And I just screwed up his process. To make matters worse, the only clean shirts were downstairs in the laundry room. I prepared for the well deserved retribution in response to my crime. I certainly would have been upset if the situation was reversed.

That's not what happened. As he saw his stained shirt and heard me gasp, "OMG! I'm so sorry!" he calmed replied, "That's OK."

That's OK???

My husband is a loving man but, again, he's not a morning person and in the past this would have been a HUGE deal for both of us. Guilt, blame, resentment and fear would have all been part of the scene and it would have come from both sides. But not now.

This was my miracle today and it came in two parts.

First, my husband chose not to succumb to the fear of being late. He chose to react in a loving way. My go-to spiritual source, A Course in Miracles says, "Miracles occur naturally as an expression of love." That's what I experienced this morning. An expression of love. 

The second part of my miracle was that I recognized it. I recognized we both have grown and aren't triggered by the same experiences that would have trapped us in a needless spat just a few years ago. My perspective has shifted deeper into love and so has his. Now that's a miracle. An everyday miracle.

While I'd still love to win big bucks with a lottery ticket, I'm not focusing on those types of "miracles" anymore. I'll take an everyday miracle anytime.

A Time of Rebirth

Spring has always been special for me. 

My beloved dogwood trees are blooming here in Virginia, the forest has begun to show her vibrant spring colors and the robins have started to appear after their winter vacation. I love spring. New beginnings. Rebirth. Physical, emotional and spiritual rebirth.

That’s what’s happening for me now.

I’m exploring yoga, working on a new high-performance coaching certification (which I’ll be offering later this year) and delving even deeper into my study of A Course in Miracles.

It’s always been easier for me to start a new path then to finish it. Commitment hasn’t always led to easy follow through. I procrastinate. Postpone. Find lots of distractions. Part of the high-performance techniques I’ve learned have helped me tremendously which is why I want to share them with others. 

I feel a new chapter starting for me and my family this spring… it’s exciting, scary and exhilarating all at the same time.

I feel a renewed passion for life which I attribute to three things. After several years, I feel the trauma of my dad’s passing is now behind me. While I miss him, the grief has shifted and I feel a level of healing I’ve not experienced before. My new grandson, Emory, has opened my heart in ways I couldn’t have imagined and I feel a deep need to contribute in new ways to help create a more loving world for him to grow up in. And I have a birthday coming up this week.

A big one.

It ends in a zero.

I used to think sixty was “getting up there.” Time to rock grandbabies, bake pies, spout wisdom…and wait for the end. What a difference a few decades make! My perceptions of aging started to change when a good friend gave me the book “You Can Heal Your Life” by Louise Hay. 

WOW!

Here was a woman who had faced overwhelming challenges and triumphed over each. Her life could easily be a blockbuster Lifetime movie! She’s become a living example for me in so many ways. While she had a fascinating life particularly in her forties and fifties, she did something extraordinary after that.

What did Louise do at sixty? Started Hay House which is now recognized as one of the leading new thought, self-development publishers on the planet. Some of my greatest insights, understandings and personal growth came from books, events and connections I’ve made thanks to Hay House. 

But Miss Louise didn’t stop there.

In the following decades, she took up organic gardening, painting and sculpture, ballroom dancing and continued to publish her own books, classes and programs. And for over twenty years continued to travel around the world appearing to thousands of delighted fans in numerous live events each year.

Now over ninety, she continues to inspire all who know her and her work.

Amazing.

Incredible.

And if Louise can do it, so can I.

So can you. So can anyone committed to growth and intending to have fun along the journey.

Here’s to spring. Our rebirth as individuals and in community. To us all beginning a new chapter, continuing to grow and to finding ways to love deeper and laugh more!

Thanks, Louise…