Picking up the Pieces: Angel Message

This morning while washing dishes, I broke a favorite cereal bowl. "Oh well, let that be the worst of it." I remembered years ago an experience I had while gift shopping at a favorite store.  I reached up high for a beautiful porcelain swan  on the top shelf.  The large piece had to be lifted above other figurines to take it down for a close look.  I discovered the white swan was a teapot ...when it hit the floor and I was in hot water.  A loud crash.  Embarrassed, I closed my eyes, afraid to look. "Did I buy it?' I cringed, asking Elliot.

"You bought it, all right," he said, picking up the lid that had fallen off and broken in two.

"How much?" I turned the swan upside down. "$12.00."

"It's yours," he said. "Let's see if it's a clean break." He pieced the top together. With a little glue it would be as good as new.

A nearby customer witnessed what happened. "This store isn't like that. If you break something you don't have to pay for it. Just stick it back on the shelf," she said, moving on down the aisle.

"Kappa-rah," Elliot said. That old Jewish custom, breaking glass is a sign, Let this be the worst of it! Both of us were strangely at peace, accepting what is.

Still not clear if I was supposed to buy it or not, I carried the swan with me as we shopped. The same woman rolled by again. "You don't have to buy it!"

It seemed like a signal from the universe, but it still didn't feel quite right. We were near an opening to the cash register, I leaned over the rope. "I broke this by accident. Do I need to buy it?" The cashier assured me that it was okay. "Leave it on the counter."

A woman waiting in line chimed in, "More people should be so honest."

I smiled, feeling like an oaf, and took one last look at the beautiful swan, her long neck and dainty pink lotus flowers were still intact except for the lid on top of her back.

At home, I looked up the symbolism of a swan.  The keynote: "Awakening the true beauty and power of the Self." The swan is usually pure white. This makes it a solar symbol. "

Kind of funny how this happened on the solar eclipse. I came away with the lesson that when we make a mistake, to be honest and the universe will grant us the grace of a swan.  

Remember you guardian angel is with you today.  Watch for little love touches along the way. 

Rae Karen

A Butterfly Clapping: Angel Message

         

Last week, this unusual little, orange-black butterfly flitted close by.  Soon she landed among the bark chips and dead leaves in the garden where I sat warming up in the sunshine.  Now, it was an official Butterfly Garden with a real, live butterfly.  Although quite small, no bigger than a little leaf... her bright, orange wings brightened up the winter blight with a promise of spring.  Amused, by her antics, I watched her rest on the mulch, blending in so well.  I could only see her when she opened her wings wide to share her beauty.     

Her underside wings camouflaged her bright side, making her look like an ordinary brown leaf among the mulch.  But each time she opened her wings to fully embrace the sun, she added a welcomed splash of color.  A splash of Joy.  I could see how such a little thing could make such a big difference.  An angel reminder that our actions influence our surroundings, no matter how small.  We, too, can bring joy where we are when we open up and shine.   

I wondered if the music had attracted her to the garden?  My son was playing a mini-concert on the piano.  Hey, Jude, Let it Be, Imagine, and other songs committed to memory.  When he stepped outside to join me, he asked, Did you hear my playing?   I smiled... Yes, and, see that little orange and black butterfly on the mulch.  She's clapping for you, opening and closing her wings.     

But the little winged one few away...before he could see her. 

More was to come... To our surprise, as if on cue, that little butterfly boldly returned, landing near my son's feet. Her white-tipped antennas were a sign to tune in to the angels.  Then the show began as she stayed put, and clapped her wings, repeatedly as we looked down at her and laughed in amazement.  Her perfect timing and theatrical display flashed a moment of insight.  Was our dear Nana, an angel in heaven, gifting us with smiles in the sunshine? 

The little, orange butterfly lingered close by our chairs, enjoying a visit in the warm sunshine.   She stayed so long, I took a hint, and went to get my camera to share a picture with you.   With the help of the angels I was able to succeed.  

Music gives a soul to the universe,

wings to the mind, flight to the

imagination and life to everything.

                         - Plato 

 

It's heartwarming to remember that love never dies...and, our departed loved ones may draw near at times when we need to remember to smile the most.  The best is yet to be.  And, remember, you are never alone.  You are always in the presence of God's Love.  This is the year to sing a new song.

 

Love and peace,

Rae Karen  

 

Beauty Tip from the Angels

                              

Many years ago, an inspiring bumper sticker on a Mercedes Benz in a parking lot caught my eye and I had no camera.  That angel message stuck with me:

"Change the way you see, 
not the way you look."

Apparently, the owner of this luxury sedan had learned a valuable lesson and was making a statement.  The way you look is external; the way you see is from within.  Don't judge by appearances.

 

 

It is only in the heart that one

can see rightly; what is essential

is invisible to the eye.   

 

                Antoine de Saint-Exupery

          The Little Prince 

Remember  you are never alone.  God has sent his angels to watch over you and guide you. His gift of vision will light the way.  Expect miracles... 

 

 

 (photo/artwork from web)

 

Happy Birthday, Lincoln

I found this vintage postcard, and was touched that Abraham asked God to bless his angel mother and he gives her credit for who he is or ever hopes to be. 

"GOD BLESS MY MOTHER.  

ALL THAT I AM OR EVER HOPE TO BE,

 I OWE TO MY ANGEL MOTHER."  

In honor of his birthday, here is part of his Proclamation of a National Fast-Day, August 12, 1861. He established the great need after the shattering battle at Bull Run in July--the war and its casualties set off an alarm in Washington that this war wasn't going to end soon without seeking divine help.  

In this Proclamation the President appointed the last Thursday in September as a day of humiliation, prayer, and fasting for all the people of the nation.  

The final excerpt of his heartfelt recommendation reads:

 "And I do earnestly recommend to all the people, and especially to all

 ministers and teachers of religion of all denominations, and to all heads 

of families, to observe and keep that day according to their several creeds 

and modes of worship, in all humility  and with all religious solemnity, to 

the end that the united prayer of the nation may ascend to the Throne of Grace,

and bring down blessings upon our Country."

In remembering President Lincoln, there is a great need for our divided country to be healed and restored to the high esteem it once held. Through Providence, this humble man held our country together during a heart-wrenching time in America's history.

Prayers are needed for America.  No matter what's going on in our lives, prayer is the answer.  God's angels are with us.  More is happening than meets the physical eye.  Prayer and faith in the Unseen, yet to be, brings peace.  We do our best and let God do the rest.

Love Will Always Make a Way: Angel Message

Since this is Heart month, I want to share a wonderful memory of the power of love.  I fondly recall a sleepy, early sunrise walk along Virginia Beach. I quickly gathered shiny, little shells and wet stones along the sandy shore, unaware of what stash I'd collected from the sea.  When I returned home and emptied out my pockets on the living room floor, an ordinary, gray round stone held great promise.  I marveled over Nature's masterpiece.  Tirelessly and relentlessly she had carved a heart clear through the hard rock!   Like a child...surprised by a loving parent, I laughed, feeling lighter, as I held the light-filled heart, shining through and through! God speaks to each of us in a special way.  

 

In that moment, I got it.  To never give up hope, divine Love will always make a way...even in the coldest stone hearts. I realized my own heart needed to let in more love.  To be more willing to forgive, to love more and fear less.  I treasured this amazing touchstone, a reminder  to live love more each day.  To find a way to let the love-light shine through the hardest of tests and the darkest of days, to yield to the Holy Spirit. Divine Love will always make a way.  God is Love.

 

Remember God has sent his angels to watch over you...it only takes a little willingness to let these heavenly guardians enter into our lives and be blessed.  

 

Love and peace,

Rae Karen     

Yield to Wisdom - An Angel Message

An angel nudge guided me to an old journal where I found an exercise on observing self.  A helpful guide to stay in harmony and have more happiness throughout your day. A reminder to slow down and yield to any temptation that would steal your peace and joy.  Pause, take a breath, and love more. 

When tempted to argue ... YIELD

When absorbed with talking about yourself only, boastful...YIELD

When armed with a critical harsh judgment...YIELD

When complaining...YIELD

When about to gossip...YIELD

When annoyed or angered...YIELD


                    YIELD ...                                
and listen to your higher angelic wisdom before proceeding further. "Wherever you go, go with all of your heart."  (a teabag quote) 

Remember you are never alone.  God has given his angels charge to lovingly watch over you in all your ways.  

 

 

(Photo from the web) 

The RED Panic Button: An Angel Message

Years ago I learned, in an alarming way, my smart car key has a PANIC BUTTON.  I'd mistaken the red plastic inlay as decorative only. Then one morning waiting in the parking lot while my son went for an appointment with the chiropractor, I got a jolt.  When I pulled the car key out of the ignition to go for a walk, somehow I triggered the red button alarm. 

Suddenly all hell broke loose, attracting attention as if I'd been caught red-handed.   Embarrassed by the  ear-splitting horn blasts and flashing lights like a frenetic firefly.  It didn't stop no matter what I did. 

 

My son ran out of the waiting room to help.  He grabbed the key, and pressed down on the Panic Button hoping it was a toggle switch. But that didn't work and we sped away to keep the peace for the other clients.   

People on foot ran out of the way as we screeched down a quiet ocean-side street.  The  ANGLZ license plate wasn't exactly promoting peace and harmony.     

In a panic, I prayed, "Angels! Archangel Michael! Help!"

I shouldn't have been surprised when it quieted down, and we drove back to the chiropractor's.

But, when my son opened the door, the PANIC BUTTON was somehow reactivated.  Instant replay!  

 

Embarrassed, he slammed the door, and we sped away again.  

Frazzled, I drove around, cringing behind the wheel, with no particular place in mind.  I couldn't out race the chaos coming from my car disturbing the peace.  We ended up on a dead-end street in a somewhat isolated area. 

Again, I asked for angel help. 

When I happened to turn around,  I couldn't believe it.  A perfect solution...

A tow truck! 

 
I shouted to the driver for help. 

Immediately he knew the fix, but I needed the manual car key.  Luckily, I kept a spare in my purse. The mechanic unlocked the driver's side door with the "dumb" key.  Then, with the "smart" key, he hit the power LOCK-OFF, LOCK-ON button again to clear the panic mode program.

It worked! Whew...peace at last.  I was so grateful for his angelic help.

My son decided to walk back to the doctor's office.  After he left, I'll admit I was scared to open the car door again, and sat in the stillness.

 But, then an angel thought whispered,  "Fear not."

In gratitude, I quietly drove to the ocean to watch the calming rhythm of the waves. The beauty of the morning sun helped wash away my stress.  My panic program was being cleared.   I smiled at the two extremes.  Serenity now.  If it hadn't been for that blasted PANIC button, I would have missed out on the peaceful glow of a new day.  

I was thankful for the lesson.  Sometimes our "panic button" may get triggered accidentally, but every problem comes with the solution.  I just need to ask the angels for help in clearing my old panic programming. To choose peace instead of this...   

Remember you are never alone.  Do not fear.  Your guardian angel is with you.  Love will make a way.  The best is yet to be.

Love and peace,

Rae Karen

Angels Light the Way

                                            (12/7/15  Angel silhouette appearing on the wall)


Angel messages may appear in surprising ways...ways that touch our hearts at the right moment in the perfect way.  Angels can take the simple things we value to convey a healing, a lightening of the soul.   And when the ordinary objects randomly placed suddenly come to life with celestial hues, the extraordinary comes to light for a moment ushering in strength and encouragement. The best is yet to be.

 

A wonderful memory comes to mind.   In the winter of 2015, while  passing through the dining room to the kitchen, I was taken aback.  The golden rays of a warm afternoon sun had created a living portrait.   The large garden angel statue on the table by the window had somehow reflected the angel's silhouette on the adjacent wall.  It looked to me as though

the angel was presenting a large blooming flower to the Madonna and Child.   

 

I welcomed the angel message on the dining room wall, feeling lighter.  I'd been dealing with a long-term health issue and my faith needed a boost.   In that moment, I realized it was a sign of hope that I too would bloom where I was planted. I was a sacred flower in God's garden, as we are all.  I gained strength to keep on doing my best day by day.  And light was shed that more was going on than I could presently understand.  Here I share a favorite passage on angels. 

 

 ANGELS 

 

 "When angels visit us, we do not hear the rustle of wings, 

nor feel the feathery touch of the breast of  a dove; but we 

know their presence by the love they create in our hearts.  

Oh, may you feel this touch,--it is not the clasping of the hands

 nor a loved person present; it is more than this: 

it is a spiritual idea that lights your path!

 The Psalmist saith:  "He shall give His angels charge over thee."  

God gives you His spiritual ideas, and in turn, they give you daily

 supplies.  Never ask for tomorrow:  it is enough that divine Love 

is an ever present help; and if you wait, never doubting, you will 

have all you need every moment.  What a glorious inheritance is 

given to us through the understanding of omnipresent Love!  

More we cannot ask:  more we do not want:  more we cannot have.  

This sweet assurance is the "Peace, be still" to all human fears, 

to suffering of every sort."    

                                    ~Mary Baker Eddy

  

Saint Francis and the Angel

Saint Francis with an angel playing the violin
by Guercino (1591-1666)

An angel appeared with a blessing for Saint Francis of Assisi holding a violin and a bow.  The angel said he would play for Saint Francis as the angels play before the throne of God.  Then the angel drew the bow across the violin string, making only a single resounding note.  The beloved Saint was filled with such joy by that one sound that had there been any more, his soul would have left his body. 

Many stories surround the life of Saint Francis and his love for animals. Stories about his preaching to the birds or befriending a rabbit, and taming a wolf. 

 Francis had been a rich young man from Assisi who renounced wealth and founded the Franciscan order of friars in 1290.  Saint Francis is known as the patron saint of animals, and praised all creatures as brothers and sisters under God.

Just as Saint Francis was blessed with one musical note from an angel, we, too, can receive blessings from God and so turning bless others. 

Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, let me sow pardon.
Where there is doubt, let me sow faith.
Where there is despair, let me sow hope.
Where there is darkness, let me sow light.
Where there is sadness, let me sow joy.
O Divine Master, grant that
I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console.
To be understood as to understand.
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in the pardoning that we are pardoned.
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

 
          --St. Francis of Assisi

Warming Up on Groundhog's Day

 That famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil has predicted another six weeks of winter.  With recent record-breaking hard-freeze temperatures as far south as Florida, his gloomy forecast was no big surprise.  This morning our two bird baths were frozen solid.  Disks of ice that luckily could be lifted up and tossed down, breaking up like shattered glass. 

During the night, prayers to know that all of God's creatures are sustained by His love brought peace.

This afternoon I happened to look out the window to a heartwarming sight.  My wise little squirrel friend had survived the freezing weather. Upside down, his furry body clung to the sunny-side of the live oak tree.  Soaking up the warmth of the sun's rays...he stayed still in gratitude, thawing out in the Butterfly Marian Garden.   I was happy to see he had survived the long, cold night, along with the sandhill crane couple who showed up early this morning. 

"My heart is beating in the peace

of God.  Surrounding me is all the

life that God created in His love.

It calls to me in every heartbeat

and in every breath, in every action

and in every thought."   

  --A Course in Miracles, Lesson 267

 

  

Fra Giovanni's Letter to a Friend

 

Many years ago, I found this beautiful letter from Fra Giovanni to a despairing friend on Christmas Eve. Although written in A.D. 1513, the message is just as true and much needed today.  

Dear Friend,

I salute you. I am your friend 

and my love for you goes deep.  

There is nothing I can give you 

which you have not; but there is much, 

very much, that while I cannot give it,

 you can take. No heaven can come to us 

unless our hearts find rest in it today. Take heaven! 

 

No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in 

this present little instant. Take peace!

The gloom of the world is but a shadow. 

Behind it yet within our reach is Joy. 

There is radiance and glory in the darkness, 

could we but see; and to see, we have only to look.  

I beseech you to look.

Life is so generous a giver, but we, judging its gifts 

by their covering, cast them away as ugly or heavy 

or hard. Remove the covering and you will find beneath

 it a living splendour, woven of Love, by  wisdom, with Power.

Welcome it, grasp it, and you touch the angel's hand 

that brings it to you. 

 

Everything we call a trial, a sorrow, or a duty; 

believe me that angel's hand is there; the gift is

there and the wonder of an overshadowing Presence. 

Our joys, too, be not content with them as joys. 

They, too, conceal divine gifts.

Life is so full of Meaning and Purpose, 

so full of Beauty...beneath its covering that you 

will find earth but cloaks your heaven.

Courage then, to claim it, that is all!  

But courage you have: and the knowledge 

that we are pilgrims together wending though 

unknown country... Home.

And so, at this time, I greet you: 

not quite as the world sends greetings, 

but with profound esteem, and with the

 prayer that for you, now and forever, 

day breaks and the shadows fly away."

 

 

Prayer for Peace

 

 Prayer for Peace

 

Lead me from death to life

from lies to truth

Lead me from despair to hope

from fear to trust

Lead me from hatred to love

from war to peace

Let peace fill our heart,

our world, our universe...

peace, peace, peace.

                                                                        ~Mother Teresa~