Have you ever tried complaining to your doctor about how
hard it is to eat healthy? Mine told me I had to change my thoughts.
Instead of thinking about how hard it is, "Just think of making better choices." Every day, every meal is a choice. It seemed simple enough.
That thought lingered with me throughout the week. By
thinking of how hard it is (and before you say “it’s not that hard”- please keep in mind that I'm taking care of
two dogs and a baby) I was focused on the challenge. Changing my mind is simple
enough, but not always easy. My doctor was right. While focused on the
challenge, I was sabotaging my own power. It’s not something difficult. It’s a simple
choice. Remembering that I DO have a choice is empowering. It allows me to take
the reins. With that in mind, I started making healthier food choices.
I carried the idea of changing my mind over to other things
too. All day long I make up silly songs to entertain the baby. I decided some
of the lyrics needed a change.
“Ay, ay, ay, ay… no sir I have no bananas” soon became “Ay,
ay, ay, ay… Yes I do have some bananas.” (What can I say, he thinks the word
“banana” is hilarious.) “Bananas, bananas galore... Bananas yes please I’ll have
more… Ay, ay, ay, ay… How I do love my bananas” etc. (You get the idea.)
Why would I repeat a lyric about a state of lack? Why
wouldn’t I sing from a place of bounty and reinforce THAT idea? Hello? What was
I thinking?
Of the thousands of thoughts we have in our heads all day
long, what do we keep repeating to ourselves that we could change? How can I
continue to change my song and improve my life? This week, I’ll listen closely
and #changemysong.
Saturday morning, I asked the Angels to show themselves to
me. It was a simple prayer. I had been stressed out and wanted to feel a sense
of peace and reassurance of faith. “Let me see you,” I asked of them. Shortly
afterward, Russell and I drove to a Greek Orthodox Church to attend the funeral
of a friend’s wife, who had succumbed to cancer.
During the service, I found myself saying the same prayer
for the deceased that I had said for myself earlier, before I realized how unnecessary that was. There I was, asking that Angels show themselves to her and
comfort her spirit, just as the priest was saying that the dearly departed was with her guardian Angel at that very moment. Of course!
At the end of the service, the casket was guided down the aisle behind the priest, who walked backwards, singing prayers of Blessing and swinging incense
before it. I imagined that the smoke rising from his vessel was actually Angels accompanying the
dearly departed, guiding her way. As the fragrant cloud swirled and trailed off
in the air, it looked as if those Angels were doing some kind of ceremonial dance
with twirls, gracefully and joyously leading her back home.
Immediate family followed the casket down the aisle and I was
jolted back to earth as I saw their expressions and felt a sense of loss. I could scarcely imagine what it must have been like for them. I realized that THEY were the ones
who needed to see the Angels and be comforted. I silently repeated my prayer for them. They had lost their mother, wife, friend; and while we knew she was now at peace, she would also be dearly missed. They had written a beautiful remembrance of her that was read as part of the ceremony. It was a moving tribute for a very special woman whose kind spirit, generous nature, and manner of touching people's lives served as heartwarming inspiration for her closest loved ones and for all of us there.
Driving home, I was startled as something swirled and twirled
in the air before the car on the highway. It was a big feather! It lingered and
danced in the air before us just like the smoke from the priest’s censer had
done! I gasped aloud as my mind registered the significance. Russ noticed my reaction and momentarily
interrupted his phone call to ask what had triggered it: “What?
The feather?”
He had seen it too! I had not just imagined that Angel feather!
(I’ve heard it said that feathers are signs from Angels - and
I’m going to go ahead and believe it.)
Isn’t it funny how we find what we seek? I had said a prayer
(or, as some might say, I had set an
intention) and it was answered. I’m reminded that we can choose to see what
we desire to see. We can see an Angel in a feather, in the smoke cloud of incense, in a
child’s smile or in anything of beauty. Even in times of difficulty, we can
choose to believe that Angels are hard at work; guiding us, challenging our
limited thinking, or pushing us toward higher understanding and greater
patience – or stronger faith. They can be anywhere – and EVERYWHERE we CHOOSE to see
them. I wanted to see them and I did, simple as that.
This week, I hope we can set positive intentions (or
prayers, or wishes, or however you want to word it) for ourselves and for all
of our human family, and that we believe strongly enough in them – that we see
them come true.
