A Lesson from a Doe: Angels

 Several weeks ago, when I opened the sun-room shades at lunch time, what joy to see a baby deer grazing in the grass at the east side of the house.   Alone and so small, I wondered, Where’s Mama?

 The youngest doe I’ve ever seen -- his spindly stick-legs buckled as he wobbled taking baby steps in the tall green grass.   This gentle creature was so close I could have counted the spots on his tawny coat.

 

Soon, the little fellow laid down to rest in the grass. The 23rd Psalm came to mind. "For he maketh me to lie down in green pastures. ...He restoreth my soul."

Watching him from the window, I was tempted to fear for his safety, but then I decided to see God’s Love enfolding him, keeping him safe. Although, I thought about calling wildlife services, there was more peace in not doing so.

Before long, he got up on his feet and hurried off into the woods, more stable in his movement. 

Research later revealed that the mother deer must leave her young while she goes to forage for food.  Sometimes she can be away for as long as 12 hours.  The good news is at this age the doe is odorless, and won’t attract predators. At two-months-old he will be strong enough to go with mom on her adventures. 

So it had all been in divine order.  I was happy to have let nature take its course.  And, the idea of baby-sitting for this wide-eyed bundle of innocence brought a smile. 

It’s not easy this letting go, and letting God…trusting that God is in control, not me, but I had turned it over to the Holy Spirit.    

Then a week later, after a heavy rain, the baby doe suddenly appeared at dusk.  This time he was not alone, but with his family of four.  My eyes glistened with relief as I watched with binoculars from the window.    

Time seemed to stand still in that wonderful moment.  The doe paused and looked across the way as we gazed back at him and his older brother. A holy hush of heaven stilled the air and softened hearts.  Love was reflected in love in that sacred bond of kinship with all Life. 

 Deer represent gently guiding you on a new adventure…

“Your newborn purpose is nursed by angels,

cherished by the Holy Spirit and protected by

God Himself.”    

--A Course in Miracles

 May you day be filled with gentle journeys.  Angels are watching over you, always.

Love and peace,

 

Rae Karen

 

Look for the Love: An Angel Message

 Every morning I cook a batch of oatmeal in the electric rice cooker.  This morning the oatmeal had overflowed out of the small hole in the top of the lid.  Since the brand of oatmeal has changed it doesn't seem to matter about the measurements.  You don't always get the same results.  

I'll admit to being rather annoyed by the spillover on the kitchen counter, but when I grabbed a sponge to clean up what a surprise to find the image of a little open heart in the mess.  

That little heart changed my mood to laughter, as I realized I don't always get what I want but what I need.  Obviously, I needed a little more love in my actions today.

The angels remind us to look for the love around us today. It's there--even in a messy situation.

Love and joy,

Rae Karen

Ribbit! Freedom's Song: An Angel Message

This morning while looking for a freedom blog, I came across this older one called "Ribbit! Freedom's Song". Although it didn't happen on July 4th, the message is a good fit for Independence Day.

While taking a break in nature, inspiration suddenly struck.  I could move the old wrought iron baker's rack to fill in a vacant spot by the house. I got busy moving the clay pots from the baker's rack shelves to lighten the load.   One pot was upside down.  As I turned it right-side up, what a surprise. 

 

A little tree frog looked up--bewildered by the sudden light.  He must have crawled into the pot's drainage hole, and grown too big to escape.  I could see that my garden project had a greater purpose than I realized.

 
Happy to set him free--there was no telling how long he'd been waiting for a helping hand, but some bugs had come in to keep him happy. 

 

Pale and wide-eyed, the little fellow joyfully leaped out into the garden, glad to be back in the world once more.

A few days later, while mixing a tub of potting soil on the driveway, I found an added ingredient in an bag of Perlite (an amendment to improve drainage and aeration). Dumping the white lightweight substance into the garden tub, I was surprised by a secret ingredient in the large plastic bag.

A little tree frog!  It tumbled out, coated in white flakes like flour.  Two big eyes stuck out of the pasty white, looking up with a silent plea.  "HELP!" 

 

My heart went out to him.

 I ran for the garden hose and gently showered him clean.  I'll admit he did a little dance, moving to the left and then to the right as white specks washed away, returning him to his natural tan body.  Somehow he had crawled into the rolled bag, but now he was free.

 Squeaky clean and ready to go, he took a leap into the potting soil mix!  

 

Gently spraying him once more, I offered advice on his choice of options. His tiny suction cupped fingers clung to the wall of the red plastic tub as he slowly stretched upward to regain his bearings.  A final rinse spritzed him all the way to the flowering lantana bush. It was a shower of love.

 Freedom.

I thought about the two hidden frogs.  What was their message?

Sometimes our energy becomes stagnant and we tuck ourselves away in some unlikely ways and places.  Stuck. Maybe there's something we don't want to face.  Some part of ourselves that we can't accept. Some guilt from past mistakes.  Whatever the cause, every facet of our emotional, mental, physical being suffers.  That's when we need to open up to the light and let God into our lives.

Once the frog was on his way, I learned that a lantana bush's energy can help get our energy moving in the right direction by taking us directly to whatever we've been so cleverly blocking from our awareness. 

 

What synchronicity.The language of angels.

And again, F.R.O.G. is an acronym for Fully Rely On God to experience the freedom God's Love has in store for you  now and always.

Enjoy your Independence day with the Angels.

Love and joyful blessings,


Rae Karen

 
(photo:  treefrog hiding under our patio umbrella)

Where is Your Focus? An Angel Message

Last week the word “FOCUS” became a discipline for me after a friend commented on how often we focus on our faults or shortcomings rather than our true identity, the inherent spiritual perfection that God created each of us to be.

FOCUS.  Determined, I  looked up the definition in Webster's dictionary. "Focus – a state or condition permitting clear perception or understanding; adjustment for distinct vision." 

Setting a clearer  intention on "focus", an image of binoculars suddenly came to mind. What lens am I looking through?   

Whether near or far, the object remains unchangeable in reality.  

With that symbol as an anchor, I tried to pay closer attention and focus on all love and goodness that is always in and around me and others. To see God's Love, and not my own limited beliefs about myself and others that sometimes blur my vision. 

Focus.

Then something amusing happened on Father’s Day. Synchronicity was at play and the angels were at work.  Elliot and I made a quick food run to help stock up the community cupboard.  As I wheeled the shopping cart down one aisle, I came to a surprising halt.   

On display was this large F.R.O.G. gazing through gold-rimmed binoculars!  Laughing, I looked twice. Thought had expanded into expression, and I learned a lesson.  We get what we focus on!  Hah!

 

Now I've seen lots of frog statues, but this garden frog was a first.  And, since F.R.O.G. is the acronym for (F)ully (R)ely (O)n (G)od, what a perfect image for seeing with the eyes of God! 

Fully Rely on God.  I got it! But you know it wasn’t until the pic was uploaded that I happened to notice the truncated blue butterfly LOVE rock also on display.  A gentle reminder to make an adjustment for distinct vision.  To focus more on keeping LOVE entirely in the big picture. 

Love is all around us, always.

Joyful blessings,

 

Rae Karen

The Art of Becoming: An Angel Message

 

After the welcomed rainy season this week, my heart took a leap at a most surprising sight. A little tree frog, no bigger than a dime, was clinging to the sun-room window on a cloudy morn.  I'll admit his joyful presence brought a much needed smile.  I was thankful for the reminder to F.R.O.G. it -- the acronym for (F)ully (R)ely (O)n (G)od.      

A large family of tadpoles has taken up residence, swimming in the old garden pond.  Tiny little fish-like creatures, they are in a state of morphing into little frogs. It must be a strange and confusing feeling to lose your tail, and begin to grow legs...in preparation to take the leap of faith into a new dimension.

I can relate-- some days I can hardly recognize my old self, yet there is an inner peace in the process and a faith.  When you F.R.O.G. it, you can relax and trust that what you are becoming is all part of a grand celestial plan.  And, with God's grace, you will be equipped with whatever is needed to safely sojourn onto the next glorious phase of that wondrous, spiral, expansive journey...upward.  

Enjoy your day with the Angels.

Love and peace,

Rae Karen

Stumbling Blocks or Stepping Stones: An Angel Message

 For over a month, a truckload of landscaping rocks has become a theme on our daily walk to the swimming pool.  The heavy laden shipment has been pending placement in the community.  Boulders, flat oval stones, and a bundle of river rocks -- all different weights and sizes.  An angel  message came to me recently as I walked by the rocky piles. Be careful not to place a stumbling block on the path of another.  

Seeing the variety of stones, it came to me how sometimes, unintentionally or otherwise, I may entertain a judgment about someone.  It could be a little fault or a big grievance that I'm perceiving.  Why are they doing this?  When will they do that?  Anyway it's witnessing to something less than their true spiritual identity, Love's creation.

 Thoughts are things... and it hit me that although seemingly invisible they have an impact on another as well as myself.  I recall from childhood, Dad often quoted, "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."   

If we're in a body right now, we are each walking a rocky road working out our own salvation, step by step.  Compassion is what is most needed.  We are here to love one another. 

While writing this, a thought came in.  A special rock had turned up on my path many years ago.  Pulling it out of my desk drawer, I recalled a sleepy sunrise walk at Virginia Beach. Soon my pockets were filled with glistening shells and stones I picked up along the way.  

Back at home, and more fully awake, I examined my stash.  I'd been hoping to find a heart-shaped rock, but that didn't happen.  To my surprise, I had something much better.  The sea had naturally carved a heart through a rock, to let the light in.  

I still treasure that joyful stepping stone that came when needed most. 

Proof that Love can make a way in the hardest circumstances.  A reminder to never give up.  Just keep on extending love.  Eventually LOVE conquers all. 

 

A touch of synchronicity just happened...

 

Elliot returned from a neighborhood walk and those landscape rocks were being randomly placed around the community to enhance the area.  

 

 Enjoy your day spreading joy and love with the angels. 

 

Rae Karen

Slow and Steady: An Angel Message

On Memorial Day, I worried about our neighbor, Timothy, as I watched the fast moving orange tractor mower gobble up the tall weeds and wildflowers in the pasture next door.  Noisily, it circled round the tree stand, coming closer and closer each time to the home of the gopher tortoise.  A dusty blizzard soon stirred the parched field. 

 I hoped Timothy had enough time to hunker down before the whirlwind began.  

Silently I watched from the window, asking the angels of nature to protect and guide him to safety.   

In late afternoon, when all the dust finally settled, and the job complete, I went to the fence and called out. 

No sign of Timothy.  

An angel idea came to me to take the garden hose.  To create a gentle refreshing rain shower by  spraying the thirsty tree branches above his hollow in the shade of the hardwoods.  

But still, no sign of Timothy stirring, which is not unusual.  He has a way of showing up by divine appointment.

Early this morning,  an angel message came for the day. "Go slow and steady.  Take time to enjoy the scenery along the way."

Before long a happy confirmation came my way. 

A dusty brown hard shell was lumbering along the road home. Tortoise, as you know, is a sign to take it slow and steady. 

What joy to find Timothy out and about, enjoying the morning sunshine and fresh cool air. After a friendly photo op, he seemed happy to hear that rain is in the forecast for today and tomorrow.  

Enjoy your day with the Angels.  And, take a tip from the victorious tortoise.  Take it slow and steady, one step at a time.   And, tune in for inner guidance before taking action.

Amusing, as a cotton-tailed bunny sprinted down the road earlier this morning, dashing off in the bushes, easily distracted. We all know how the race ends when we stay humble, and do our best each day to steadily make progress toward the goal. 

  

Joyful blessings,

Rae Karen

 

 

Transformed by the Light: An Angel Message

 

As you know, angel messages may sneak up on you in unexpected, happy ways. It happened early this morning.  When I looked out the sun-room window, the glorious light of a new day was dawning.

In gratitude, I watched beams of golden light reach through the leafy tree tops, laden with Spanish moss, and transform everything touched by its radiance. 

The rays revealed a large circular spider web suspended from the branches of a tree. 

What had been hidden was now in plain sight.

Suddenly the ordinary became extraordinary!

 As I gazed at the radiant symbol of the Circle of Life, it got even better.  The sunlight transformed the silken web into a tapestry of rainbow threads woven in the harmony of unity and Oneness. 

A rainbow is a sign of God's promise.  As you can see in the Circle of Life, a few threads need mending, but overall strength and unity in God prevails.

Today we honor the soldiers who bravely fought for our cherished freedoms, to keep us united as One nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.  

In God we trust.

Love and peace,

Rae Karen

 

A High Wire Act: An Angel Message

In the early morning, it's not unusual to see a graceful dove or a little songbird perched on the cable cord that stretches across the road. 

But... this morning's visitor brought a touch of dry humor.  

LOL! This odd duck was clearly out of water.  What was he up to?  Far from his element, he tried his best to perform a balancing act as he moved along the high wire.  But, those large webbed feet, with no claws, were not equipped to get a grip on such a daring feat.  

I'll admit it seemed like the angels of humor were bringing a message on-high through nature. 

As you may recall in the last blog, ducks bring emotional comfort.   Stay in your own element, a place where you feel comfortable and can easily handle whatever may come up.  Try not to make a spectacle of yourself.  

I'm so thankful for the lessons that come when God speaks through nature.  It adds a whole new dimension to life, making you wonder in awe of it all.  God is Love.  You are never alone.  He has given His angels charge to watch over you.  Trust that more is happening than you can presently realize.  Go within and be still.  Answers will come.  Pay attention to the birds and animals that may cross your path. What are they doing when you notice them?  The more you open up to nature, the louder she will speak. 

And, just so you know, the awkward duck spread its wings, and took to the endless sky as soon as I thanked him for delivering the uplifting message.  :-D

Love and peace,

Rae Karen