tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37383899070518743462008-10-06T16:50:59.973-07:00This is the home of Compassionate Illumination where we promote the healing and connectiviThe purpose of this blog is to promote the healing and connectivity of spirit with true testimonials from the heart.Jeanne Brumbaughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14601953511998061882noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738389907051874346.post-73585900841633107042008-10-06T16:42:00.000-07:002008-10-06T16:50:59.984-07:00---LOVE IS A LITTLE WHITE BIRD---<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span>And it won't help any, it won't get us anywhere<br />it won't wipe away what has been<br />nor hold off what is to be<br />if you hear me saying<br />---LOVE is a little white bird---<br />and the flight of it so fast<br />you can't see it<br />and you know it's there<br />only by the faint whirr of its wings<br />and the hush song coming so low to your ears<br />you fear it might be silence<br />and you listen keen and you listen long<br />and you know it's more than silence<br />for you get the hush song so lovely<br />it hurts and cuts into your heart<br />and what you want is to give more than you can get<br />and you'd like to write it but it can't be written<br />and you'd like to sing it but you don't dare try<br />because the little white bird sings it better than you can<br />so you listen and while you listen you pray<br />and one day it's as though a great slow wind<br />had washed you clean and strong inside and out<br />and the little white bird's hush song<br />is telling you nothing can harm you,<br />the days to come can weave in and weave out<br />and spin their fabrics and designs for you<br />and nothing can harm you---<br />unless you change yourself into a thing of harm<br />nothing can harm you.<br /><br />.....................................................................................<br /><br />I give you the little white bird---<br />and my thanks for your hearing me---<br />and my prayers for you,<br />my deep silent prayers.<br /><br />--- Carl Sandburg<br />"Little Word, Little White Bird"Jeanne Brumbaughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14601953511998061882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738389907051874346.post-78406464129082302642008-09-17T06:11:00.004-07:002008-09-20T04:39:58.056-07:00What Happens When You Share Your AbundanceCatherine M. Kasper, in her book, <strong>ANGELIC ABUNDANCE: TREASURE MAPS</strong>, suggests that September is the perfect month to focus on the abundance in your life. She proposes the following:<br /><br /><em>Share your abundance. If you feel moved to, from your heart, share your abundance, for everything you give out comes back to you in some way. Send something out into the Universe. Watch to see it come back to you in any one of a number of ways the energy of love can take form!</em><br /><br /><br /><br />I wonder what would happen if you shared your abundance today by......<br /><br />Thanking someone for making a difference in your life<br /><br />Giving your waitress two or three times the average tip<br /><br />Surprising a stranger with a bouquet of flowers<br /><br />Telling someone you noticed their act of kindness<br /><br />Making a donation to a charity<br /><br />Leaving pennies in a store that has a "Need a penny, take a penny" dish<br /><br />Baking cookies and taking a dozen to your neighbor<br /><br />Paying for a stranger's cup of coffee or ice cream cone or sandwich .......<br /><br />Please share your abundance today!<br /><br />With Abundance, Love, and Light~~~<br /><br />JeanJeanne Brumbaughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14601953511998061882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738389907051874346.post-2935448294904473882008-09-17T06:11:00.003-07:002008-09-20T04:03:56.480-07:00Prayer For New LifeDear God,<br /><br />May I be pregnant with the expression of a new being: someone more magnificent than I have been;<br /><br />More powerful than I have been;<br /><br />Healthier than I have been;<br /><br />More alive than I have been;<br /><br />More at cause than I have been;<br /><br />More tender than I have been;<br /><br />More compassionate and merciful than I have been;<br /><br />More full of love than I have been;<br /><br />More tolerant, less judgmental than I have been;<br /><br />More at one with myself and with all others;<br /><br />More close to You, dear Lord, than I have been.<br /><br />Amen<br /><br /><br />~~~Marianne WilliamsonJeanne Brumbaughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14601953511998061882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738389907051874346.post-42193619497716647452008-09-17T06:11:00.002-07:002008-09-20T03:46:05.807-07:00Doing Well By Doing GoodDoing Well By Doing Good <br />William R. Brody <br /> <br /> Excerpted from a speech delivered by Mr. Brody to the graduating class of John Hopkins University on May 26, 2005.<br /><br />There is a man who I'd like to tell you about. His name is Sandy Greenberg. In his youth, Sandy was a very good student, but he came from a poor family. And so he went to Columbia University on a scholarship and there he met his roommate who also was receiving financial aid.<br /><br />Now while he was a sophomore at Columbia University, Sandy contracted an eye disease that eventually proved to be glaucoma. But the trouble was, it wasn't detected early enough, and as a result he became legally blind. I ask you all to imagine for a moment having been sighted all your life, and then all of a sudden being faced, in a very competitive school, with losing so much sight you could no longer read. This is what happened to Sandy Greenberg.<br /><br />But something else happened to Sandy that may surprise you. Sandy said that when he lost his sight, his roommate would read his textbooks to him, every night.<br /><br />So I'm going to put you in that position, in a competitive school like Columbia, or Johns Hopkins. If your roommate had a serious disability, would you take the time to read textbooks to him every night, knowing the more you spend time reading textbooks to your roommate, perhaps the less well you might do with your other activities? That's not as easy a question as it first appears.<br /><br />But luckily for Sandy, his roommate did. And as a result, Sandy went on to graduate with honors. He got a Fulbright Scholarship, and he went off to study at Oxford. He was still quite poor, but he said he had managed to save about five hundred dollars as he went along.<br /><br />His roommate, meanwhile, also went on to graduate school. One day, Sandy got a call from him at Oxford. And his former roommate said, "Sandy I'm really unhappy. I really don't like being in graduate school, and I don't want to do this."<br /><br />So Sandy asked, "Well what do you want to do?"<br /><br />And his roommate told him, "Sandy, I really love to sing. I have a high school friend who plays the guitar. And we would really like to try our hand in the music business. But we need to make a promo record, and in order to do that I need $500."<br /><br />So Sandy Greenberg told me he took all his life savings and sent it to his roommate. He told me, "You know, what else could I do? He made my life; I needed to help make his life." <br /><br />So, I hope you'll remember the power of doing well by doing good. Each of you, in your own lives, will be faced with challenges, with roadblocks, with problems that you didn't anticipate or expect. How you are able to deal with adversity will be influenced, to no small extent, by how you deal with others along the way. What you get will depend a lot on what you give. And that's the end of the story of doing well, by doing good.<br /><br />Ah! I almost forgot. You probably are wanting to know who Sandy's roommate was. I think you've heard of him. Sandy's roommate was a fellow by the name of Art Garfunkel, and he teamed up with another musician by the name of Paul Simon. That $500 helped them cut a record that eventually became "The Sounds of Silence." Recently, we had the pleasure of going to Sandy's daughter's wedding, and it was Art Garfunkel who sang as Sandy walked his daughter down the aisle.<br /><br />When you get to be my age (which, for some of you, is really old, (though it doesn't seem so old to me anymore), you will find yourself beginning to ask, did my life make a difference?<br /><br />That's the day of personal reckoning. And I think the only way to face it is to consider, every day of your life: How can I do something for somebody else? How can I give back to others? It may be teaching, it may be becoming a doctor, you may be successful in business - no matter what your career path, there will always be the opportunity to give back. The chance will present itself to be giving of your time, giving of your money, but mostly, to be giving of yourselves, of your own heart and soul.<br /><br />My hope today, as you commence to new beginnings, is you will always keep your eyes open for those opportunities to give and embrace them as your best sure way of doing well.Jeanne Brumbaughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14601953511998061882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738389907051874346.post-16804957543354270042008-09-17T06:11:00.001-07:002008-09-17T06:19:52.579-07:00An Empty CanvasLife in itself is an empty canvas,<br />it becomes whatsoever you paint on it.<br />You can paint misery, you can paint bliss.<br />This freedom is your glory.<br /><br />~~~Osho, Indian Spiritual TeacherJeanne Brumbaughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14601953511998061882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738389907051874346.post-17303172026211851742008-09-17T06:11:00.000-07:002008-09-17T06:17:02.832-07:00"LOVE..."Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it.<br />Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it.<br />Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.<br /><br />---Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.Jeanne Brumbaughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14601953511998061882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738389907051874346.post-90715842033960260832008-09-09T04:24:00.000-07:002008-09-09T04:26:49.430-07:00Who Has Seen The Wind?<span style="font-weight:bold;">Who has seen the wind? Neither you nor I.<br />But when the trees bow their heads,<br />The wind is passing by.<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span><br /><br />---Christina RossettiJeanne Brumbaughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14601953511998061882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738389907051874346.post-36505377433397319252008-09-09T04:09:00.000-07:002008-09-09T04:24:20.677-07:00The Force of GodRosemary Altea writes:<br /><br />It is true that we cannot see the wind except when the leaves rustle on the trees, or when fields of long grasses dance, or tall poplars bend their backs. In other words, <span style="font-weight:bold;">we can see the wind when it touches something</span>. The force of God, the force of the universe, and the spirit world, is much the same. Sometimes it winds its way gently, softly, into our lives. Sometimes the force of it is so strong that it blows its way into our lives like a full gale-force tornado, knocking us off our feet and in a moment forever changing our way of being and thinking. <br /><br />---<span style="font-weight:bold;">You Own the Power</span>Jeanne Brumbaughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14601953511998061882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738389907051874346.post-68171396925343445302008-09-07T02:05:00.000-07:002008-09-07T02:13:30.297-07:00Catch and Release<p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Good Sunday morning to all!<span style=""> </span>I was presented with several difficult challenges over the past couple of weeks which brought temporary discomfort and several empowering spiritual life lessons.<span style=""> </span><u>I allowed myself to become entangled in the nets of others and, as a result, I felt trapped and restricted---Not a good feeling!<o:p></o:p></u></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;">How many times in our lives do we allow the biting words and cutting actions (nets) of others to capture us and limit us?<span style=""> </span>Is it as easy to remove ourselves from the nets as it is to allow ourselves to be captured by them?<span style=""> </span>Actually, I discovered it was much more difficult for me to swim out of the nets than it was to swim in and proceed to entangle myself.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I struggled and strained.<span style=""> </span>My human aspect was caught in the web of deception. It exclaimed, “Fight!<span style=""> </span>Tug!<span style=""> </span>Pull!”<span style=""> </span>And, do you know what happened?<span style=""> </span>It got worse.<span style=""> </span>The moment I quelled my human-self and tuned in with my spiritual-self was the point when things began to improve. My spiritual aspect cried out, “This doesn’t make sense.<span style=""> </span>You got yourself entangled!<span style=""> </span>You know how to untangle yourself! It’s not that hard! Why are you making it so difficult?”<span style=""> </span>Still, for a while I kept flailing and fighting.<span style=""> </span>The saying “The more you struggle, the tighter it gets!” certainly applied. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“So, Jean, what did you do?” You ask.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I stopped.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I prayed.<span style=""> </span>I meditated.<span style=""> </span>I asked God to help me because I was so stuck that I couldn’t figure out how to release myself.<span style=""> </span>The tangles were so tight that I could not loosen them.<span style=""> </span>What a predicament!<span style=""> </span>I needed help! I had temporarily fallen back to relying on my human understanding, rather than relying on God and His understanding. <span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I was directed to ask others to lift me up in prayer.<span style=""> </span>And so, I emailed family and friends and asked them to pray on my behalf.<span style=""> </span>The response was immediate!<span style=""> </span>I was amazed as I saw email after email flood back to me, expressing love and support.<span style=""> </span>Tears filled my eyes as my body, mind, and spirit felt the loving embrace of so many beautiful people….EARTH ANGELS.<span style=""> </span>They gently whispered to me, “Let go, Jean.<span style=""> </span>Let go.<span style=""> </span>We have you. Let us help you.”<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;">And so…..I let go. <span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;">And…..The nets fell away. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;">And…..I was released.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Allow me to offer up, as a heartfelt thank you to my prayer warriors, the story of a whale and its CATCH AND RELEASE.<span style=""> </span>Consider yourselves nudged!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Thank you, my dear friends.<span style=""> </span>May God Bless You!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;">With Gratitude, Light, and Love,<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jean <span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Jeanne Brumbaughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14601953511998061882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738389907051874346.post-37751121296003773612008-09-07T01:51:00.000-07:002008-09-07T02:04:55.391-07:00The True Story Of A Grateful Whale<table class="MsoNormalTable" style="width: 325px; border-collapse: collapse; height: 1px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr style=""> <td style="padding: 0in; width: 359.2pt;" valign="top" width="479"><br /></td> <td style="padding: 0in; width: 8.7pt;" valign="top" width="12"> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in; width: 34.85pt;" width="46"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </td> </tr> <tr style=""> <td style="padding: 0in; width: 359.2pt;" valign="top" width="479"><br /></td> <td style="padding: 0in; width: 8.7pt;" valign="top" width="12"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in; width: 34.85pt;" width="46"> <p class="MsoNormal"></p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table class="MsoNormalTable" style="width: 509px; border-collapse: collapse; height: 1px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr style=""> <td style="padding: 0in; width: 359.2pt;" valign="top" width="479"><br /></td> <td style="padding: 0in; width: 8.7pt;" valign="top" width="12"> <br /></td> <td style="padding: 0in; width: 34.85pt;" width="46"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </td> </tr> <tr style=""> <td style="padding: 0in; width: 359.2pt;" valign="top" width="479"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 21pt; font-family: Tahoma; color: rgb(0, 52, 152);"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in; width: 8.7pt;" valign="top" width="12"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in; width: 34.85pt;" width="46"> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table class="MsoNormalTable" style="width: 388px; margin-left: 6.75pt; margin-right: 6.75pt; height: 1px;" align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr style=""> <td style="padding: 0in; width: 147.55pt;" valign="top" width="197"> <br /></td> <td style="padding: 0in; width: 21.2pt;" valign="top" width="28"> <br /></td> <td style="padding: 0in; width: 108.75pt;" valign="top" width="145"> <br /></td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p class="searchquote"><br /></p><p class="searchquote">If <span style="font-family: &quot;Century Schoolbook&quot;;">you read the front page story of the San Francisco Chronicle on Thursday, Dec 15, 2005, you would have read about a female humpback whale who had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="searchquote"><span style="font-family: &quot;Century Schoolbook&quot;;">The fifty-foot whale was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her her tail, her torso and a line tugging in her mouth.<br /><br />A fisherman spotted her just east of the <st1:placename st="on">Farallone</st1:PlaceName> <st1:placetype st="on">Islands</st1:PlaceType> (outside the <st1:place st="on">Golden Gate</st1:place>) and radioed an environmental group for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her - a very dangerous proposition. One slap of the tail could kill a rescuer.<br /><br />They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her. When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed them gently around - she thanked them. Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives.<br /><br />The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth says her eye was following him the whole time, and he will never be the same. May you, and all those you love, be so blessed and fortunate in the New Year- to be surrounded by people who will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you. And, may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude.<br /></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Century Schoolbook&quot;;"><br /> </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Century Schoolbook&quot;;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div><table class="MsoNormalTable" style="width: 277.5pt; margin-left: 6.75pt; margin-right: 6.75pt;" align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="370"> <tbody><tr style=""> <td style="padding: 0in; width: 147.55pt;" valign="top" width="197"> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(204, 51, 51);"><br /> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /> <!--[endif]--></span></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in; width: 21.2pt;" valign="top" width="28"> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><o:p> </o:p></p> </td> <td style="padding: 0in; width: 108.75pt;" valign="top" width="145"> </td> </tr> </tbody></table><p class="searchquote"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Century Schoolbook&quot;;"></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Century Schoolbook&quot;;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Jeanne Brumbaughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14601953511998061882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738389907051874346.post-47671231236503789512008-09-01T04:41:00.000-07:002008-09-01T04:48:33.806-07:00Blessed Are They That Mourn<p class="MsoNormal">Today is September 1, 2008.<span style=""> </span>One year ago today my dear friend’s daughter died…the day <b style="">after </b>she celebrated her birthday. Three times this morning, the angels directed me to the same quote in three different sources: </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><o:p> </o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">---Matthew 5:4<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><o:p> </o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The following inspirational passage is an excerpt from a beautiful book, written by a mother who lost her child. <b style="">BLESSED ARE THEY THAT MOURN; COMFORT IN THE ARMS OF THE ANGELS </b>by Brenda Schmidt enables you to feel the loving embrace of God and the angels as your heart is held with healing compassion, light, and love.<span style=""> </span>Brenda celebrates her ability to communicate with her son after his passing. She shares the joy of realizing her son continues to live on in spirit and celebrates the moments when she feels him and hears him. Yes, their relationship continues!<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">As a spiritual advisor and healer, I know that when we die our lives continue, just in a different form.<span style=""> </span>Many of you have had experiences where you have felt, heard, smelled, and/or seen Spirit.<span style=""> </span>Perhaps you just don’t tell others, preferring to keep it to yourself.<span style=""> </span>Maybe you are afraid others will think you are really “out there” and fear being rejected.<span style=""> I encourage you to own your experiences and to give thanks for those precious gifts.<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Grief changes us.<span style=""> </span>It deconstructs, challenges, tempers, strips, hurts, breaks, and destroys.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And then,……and then, we emerge, after the ravages of grief with our broken hearts crying out to make sense of the unreal.<span style=""> </span>There is new life.<span style=""> </span>There are new beginnings.<span style=""> </span>There is the dawn of the new day.<span style=""> </span>We are forever changed.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">May Brenda’s excerpt give you peace that passes all understanding and may you find comfort in the arms of the angels.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Holding Your Heart With Love and Light,</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Jeanne</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Brenda writes:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">As a bereaved parent, I am on my own journey through grief.<span style=""> </span>I give thanks daily for all the comfort I have received from God, his Angels, all my loved ones on both sides of the veil, my fellow bereaved friends, spiritual mentors and thousands of authors.<span style=""> </span>Collectively, they have pushed me out of the black hole that is grief and into a new, whole and happy of life of peace and understanding.<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><o:p> </o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">I have learned that you do not “get over” the physical loss of your child or a special loved one, but you can develop a new, deeper, spiritual, visual---even physical relationship, that may seem impossible to anyone who has not pursued it.<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><o:p> </o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">To accomplish this, it takes time, millions of tears, sorrow, blackness, an unbelievable amount of pain and suffering, hard work, study, patience, understanding, compassion toward others and much prayer and assistance from above.<span style=""> </span>This is “grief work.” Do it and the outcome can be astounding.<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><o:p> </o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">I will not say that I am no longer in grief or that I will ever be finished grieving the loss of my son.<span style=""> </span>But the horrible emptiness has been filled with love and I am a new person.<span style=""> </span>I develop and grow daily.<span style=""> </span>The bad days are rare.<span style=""> </span>The good days are better than ever.<span style=""> </span>Life seems so different, so filled with love and so worthwhile.<span style=""> </span>I know after seeing the darkest night, the light of life shines so much brighter.<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><o:p> </o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">It is my hope that each of you will also eventually find a level of happiness; although different from your life before grief; still rewarding in ways that are as yet, unimaginable.<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><o:p> </o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">In the last three years I have spoken with hundreds of people walking the path through grief and my heart aches as I absorb and understand a bit of the pain each one is living with.<span style=""> </span>Each day I learn of tragedies more intense than my own.<span style=""> </span>I am truly amazed at the capacity of the human spirit.<span style=""> </span>There are too many people experiencing the excruciating pain of grief.<span style=""> </span>Each individual has a special relationship to the one they have lost and each is unique in their suffering.<span style=""> </span>We must find our own way out of these depths of sorrow.<span style=""> </span>The climb is not easy, but with perseverance and help, anyone can survive the worst loss---which is their own.<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><o:p> </o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">My love and prayers from the bottom of my heart and soul go out to all of you that suffer the seeming endlessness of grief.<span style=""> </span>There is hope. There is relief.<span style=""> </span>There is peace.<span style=""> </span>There is happiness.<span style=""> </span>I hope that with these thoughts and exercises we can push you a little farther down the path---out of darkness and into the light.<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><o:p> </o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Peace be with you,<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Brenda Schmidt<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><o:p><br /></o:p></b></p>Jeanne Brumbaughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14601953511998061882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738389907051874346.post-56602236162305745252008-08-30T03:08:00.000-07:002008-08-30T03:15:58.249-07:00Goosebumps Are Godbumps<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">I want to share a passage with you today from ANGEL WATCH: GOOSEBUMPS, SIGNS, DREAMS AND DIVINE NUDGES, by Catherine Lanigan.<span style=""> </span>I remember when I finally began to realize the connection between goosebumps and the presence of God, His angels, as well as other representations of Spirit.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><o:p></o:p>My clients often hear me refer to <i style="">goosebumps, Godbumps, zaps, buzzes</i>, etc. as confirmation or the presence of Spirit.<span style=""> </span>I thought perhaps some of you would enjoy reading the passage below and reflecting on the times when you have felt these bodily responses and reactions.<span style=""> </span>I encourage you to begin paying attention to the loving signs you are given when you ask for God’s guidance and presence in your life. Too many times we limit and or restrict God with our self-limiting beliefs.<span style=""> </span>(Spirit is tapping me at this moment!<span style=""> </span>Confirmation!) <o:p><br /></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><i style=""><br /></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><i style="">Goosebumps are, after all, the knowledge that the divine is at hand….For good or ill, to let us know we’re safe or to advise us of wrong choices, goosebumps help to move us back onto our divine path.<span style=""> </span>They are instrumental, but only insofar as we pay attention….One of the reasons for our being so slow on the uptake is that we don’t explain our actions and efforts in spiritual terms. How easily we pass off the divine as “coincidence” or “mistakes” or “unexplained.”<o:p></o:p></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><b style=""><i style=""><o:p></o:p></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><i style=""><o:p></o:p>….There is always an explanation, if we are willing to look deeply enough for the answer….It takes faith to believe that we are all worthy of divine love….<o:p></o:p></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><b style=""><i style=""><o:p></o:p></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><i style=""><o:p></o:p>….And the next time you feel the hairs on the back of your neck rising to attention, stop and ask yourself if what you’re doing is part of your divine path.<span style=""> </span>If someone relates a story to you and goosebumps spring up across your forearms, that is confirmation of the truth.<span style=""> </span>Use those goosebumps, along with your gut feelings, hunches and twinges at your heartstrings, to know when to trust and who to trust.<span style=""> </span>When you’ve said your prayers and the heavens did not open up and lay the answer out in script for you to read, remember to listen with your inner ear to the words of your loved ones around you.<span style=""> </span>Listen to the suddenly familiar song on the radio whose title might be the answer to your prayer.<o:p></o:p><br /></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><i style=""><br /></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><i style="">You’re being contacted every day and night.<span style=""> </span>But are you watching?<span style=""> </span>Trust that your guardian angels are guiding you, every step of the way.<o:p></o:p></i><br /><o:p></o:p><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">May you have many blessed experiences with Goosebumps/Godbumps!<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">With Love and Light,<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><o:p> </o:p>Jeanne <o:p></o:p></b></p>Jeanne Brumbaughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14601953511998061882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738389907051874346.post-50096855849575680372008-08-28T04:34:00.000-07:002008-08-28T04:37:07.026-07:00Teach Your Children<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">The most important thing that you can teach your children is that Well-being abounds. And that Well-being is naturally flowing to them. And that if they will relax and reach for thoughts that feel good, and do their best to appreciate, then they will be less likely to keep the Well-being away, and more likely to allow it to flow into their experience. Teach them the art of allowing.<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><o:p> </o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">~~~Esther and Jerry Hicks<o:p></o:p></b></p> <b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">(Excerpted from a workshop in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Milwaukee</st1:City>, <st1:state st="on">WI</st1:State></st1:place> on Wednesday, July 5th, 2000)</span></b>Jeanne Brumbaughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14601953511998061882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738389907051874346.post-90671128182796684902008-08-27T15:06:00.000-07:002008-08-27T15:09:22.985-07:00Compassionate Illumination<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Today Spirit directed me to pull one of my books off the shelf and take it with me to my doctor’s appointment. The book was PEACE, LOVE + HEALING: BODYMIND COMMUNICATION &amp; THE PATH TO SELF-HEALING: AN EXPLORATION, written by Bernie S. Siegel, M.D. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I have had so many wonderful experiences where Spirit has pointed me on my path and lovingly waited for that fabulous instant when the realization hits and the understanding flows forth, providing me with a huge “Ah ha” moment!<span style=""> </span>I trusted that there was a reason I was taking this particular book and that a very special moment was on its way to me! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">So, as I sat in the waiting room, I said to Spirit while my book was closed, “What is important for me to pay attention to in this book at this moment?”<span style=""> </span>I randomly opened to page 88 and was greeted by three lists. The first list read WHAT I KNOW, the second list read THEREFORE, and the last list read PLEASE KNOW. I was immediately pulled to the last list and began to read.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I want to share this with you because I believe it will help you to help yourself and to help others as well.<span style=""> </span>You see, this list was compiled by a man who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and was told by those in the medical community that he would be dead within three months to a year.<span style=""> </span>He was informed that “his chances were small, the radiation he was undergoing useless, and he was sure to have terrible side effects from the chemo (this last at a time when he still hadn’t shown any)….”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He refused to give into the negativity and the hopelessness.<span style=""> </span>He refused to stop living. He refused to allow others to dictate his experience.<span style=""> </span>His Spirit sprung into action and he owned his power by writing out “Edwards’ Credo” and taping it to his wall, addressing it to “any new physician on my case”: <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;">PLEASE KNOW:<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="">1.<span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I know you can help me in a positive way if you want to.<span style=""> </span>But please remember that my life belongs to me, those I love and those who love me.<o:p></o:p></span></b></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="">2.<span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;">My wife and I are convinced that good medicine is more than protoplasm.<span style=""> </span>We also believe in the body’s mental powers and the help we can get to bring all of these resources to bear on my problem and to help you help me.<o:p></o:p></span></b></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="">3.<span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I have much to live for and I am trying very hard to do whatever I can mentally and physically to make whatever you prescribe or do as effective as possible.<o:p></o:p></span></b></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="">4.<span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I personally know of people with what I have who have done well despite the poor odds.<span style=""> </span>I intend to also, by buying as much good time as I can for me and those I love.<span style=""> </span>Perhaps we can do even more.<span style=""> </span>That is why I am here.<span style=""> </span>Otherwise I would not be.<o:p></o:p></span></b></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="">5.<span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;">There is hope in my heart.<span style=""> </span>Do not do anything to encourage its replacement with pessimism or bitterness, for it will inevitably lessen my comfort level and worsen my condition.<o:p></o:p></span></b></span><!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Now, allow me to move ahead, to 30 minutes after I read this and was in the examining room, door open, while the nurse was organizing the papers in my folder.<span style=""> </span>I was sitting, waiting patiently, when I became aware that I could overhear one of the physicians, who happened to be on the phone in his office, speaking to one of his patients.<span style=""> </span>It was obvious she was scared and in the process of making a big decision which would impact her health.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">This man was human.<span style=""> </span>He was warm, considerate, aware, caring, and fully present for her during a scary time. He answered her questions, didn’t push to end the phone call, and reassured her repeatedly that she had to make the best decision for herself. He asked her if she had any other questions!<span style=""> </span>The conversation ended with honor and respect.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I sat on my exam table, pondering the immensity of the gift the man had just given that woman.<span style=""> </span>And, I decided I had to thank him.<span style=""> </span>Yes!<span style=""> </span>He needed to know that someone noticed his loving heart.<span style=""> </span>So, I told the nurse I was going across the hall to tell the doctor he had just done a good job.<span style=""> </span>She called out his name to let him know I was coming. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He looked up from his desk with a look of surprise as I whisked into his office.<span style=""> </span>“I’m sorry to bother you,” I said, “but I just overheard your conversation and I want to tell you I am proud of you.”<span style=""> </span>I reached out to shake his hand.<span style=""> </span>He looked stunned and smiled gently, extending his hand.<span style=""> </span>We shook hands, looked at each other with knowing smiles, and then I quickly walked back across the hall to wait for my doctor.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">So, what was that?<span style=""> </span>Hmm….What was that?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">THAT, my dear friends was a man practicing COMPASSIONATE ILLUMINATION. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style=""><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Jeanne Brumbaughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14601953511998061882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738389907051874346.post-5933916089775100612008-08-26T04:01:00.000-07:002008-08-26T04:08:32.856-07:00Our Deepest Fear<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial;">"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that frightens us. We ask ourselves 'who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?'</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial;">Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial;">It's not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial;">As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."<br /></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br />~~~<strong><span style="color: black;">Marianne Williamson</span></strong><b><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 104, 104);"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0060927488/inspirationpoint/">Return To Love</a></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> <b><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p><br /><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> <b><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>Jeanne Brumbaughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14601953511998061882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738389907051874346.post-85867451785674368232008-08-24T08:25:00.000-07:002008-08-24T08:29:07.159-07:00A Gentle Reminder<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: lucida grande;">Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least.<br /><br />~~~Goethe<br /></span></span></span>Jeanne Brumbaughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14601953511998061882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738389907051874346.post-51391555283532607962008-08-22T04:30:00.000-07:002008-08-22T04:56:38.992-07:00Visitor's Feedback About Bella Woods ExperienceOn August 20, 2008 J.'s email read:<br /><br />Hi Jean. I just wanted to drop you a line and thank you for all your words of wisdom and compassion. I truly felt better on the way home. Pretty drained, but better. I guess that just means I have further to go, and I will! Bella Woods was exactly where I needed to be and I'm so thankful that I listened to that voice that said I should go. You are a great blessing and a true inspiration to listen to what is calling you. I look forward to talking with you in the near future. Once again, my many thanks!!!<br /><br />Sincerely,<br />J.Jeanne Brumbaughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14601953511998061882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738389907051874346.post-44258768669780269902008-08-02T03:56:00.000-07:002008-08-02T04:02:22.712-07:00Making A Difference<div style="text-align: center;"> <p style="text-align: center; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);" align="center"><b><span style="font-family: Garamond;">One day a man was walking along the seashore.<br />He noticed that during the night<br />many seashells and starfish had washed up on the shore.<br />Thoroughly enjoying the morning sun and cool sea air,<br />the man strolled for miles along the sand.<br />Far off in the distance, he saw a small figure dancing.<br />The man was joyous that someone was celebrating life<br />in such a grand and uninhibited manner.<br />As he drew closer, however ... it became apparent<br />that perhaps the figure was not dancing<br />but was repeatedly performing some ritual.<br />Approaching the small figure, the man noticed that it was a child.<br />The girl was methodically picking up starfish from the shore<br />and tossing them back into the surf.<br />The man paused for a moment, puzzled, then asked ...<br />"Why are you throwing those starfish?"<br />"If I leave these starfish on the beach," she replied,<br />"the sun will dry them, and they will die.<br />So I'm throwing them back into the ocean<br />because I want them to live."<br />The man was silent for a moment, impressed with the child's thoughtfulness.<br />Then he motioned up and down the miles and miles of beach and said,<br />"There must be millions of starfish along here!<br />How can you possibly expect to make a difference?"<br />The young girl pondered the man's words for a moment,<br />then she slowly leaned over, reached down,<br />and carefully picked up another starfish from the sand.<br />Pulling back, she arched the starfish gently into the surf.<br />She turned to the man and smiled.<br />"You may be right," she said ...<br />"But I Made A Difference For That One!"<br /></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);" align="center"><b><span style="font-family: Garamond;"> Author Unknown</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b><span style="font-family: Garamond; color: rgb(103, 105, 97);"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" spt="75" preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"> </v:formulas> <v:path extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" connecttype="rect"> <o:lock ext="edit" aspectratio="t"> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="" style="'width:157.5pt;"> <v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\User\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image001.jpg" href="http://jandingo.com/index136/bar.jpg"> </v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><br /><!--[endif]--></span></b></p> </div>Jeanne Brumbaughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14601953511998061882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738389907051874346.post-72879585867327130382008-07-25T04:52:00.000-07:002008-07-25T04:54:17.889-07:00I'm Sorry<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">The other day, I stopped by the local gas station to fill up my vehicle’s gas tank.<span style=""> </span>I was just beginning to pump the gas when I noticed a father and his two young children, both under age 5, hurriedly walking into the store.<span style=""> </span>I smiled to myself, remembering some of my early harried parenting moments with my children, Becca and Ben.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">The little girl radiated pure light.<span style=""> </span>Her simple, pure, unadulterated innocence naturally beamed outward from her little body.<span style=""> </span>Her steps were energized and fully alive.<span style=""> </span>Joy!<span style=""> </span>She was filled with joy!<span style=""> </span>Her spirit was dancing! This, I observed, was prior to them entering the store.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">I was still pumping gas when I saw the three exit from the store and enter the parking lot. <span style=""> </span>Sodas, chips, and candy bars were now in tow.<span style=""> </span>The little girl, guiding and directing her brother’s movements, had a noticeable furrow on her little forehead. Her distress was blatantly visible. Her steps were disjointed and she seemed off balance.<span style=""> </span>Where had her joy gone?<span style=""> </span>What could have happened in just two minutes?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">I felt her spirit “reaching out” to her father’s spirit.<span style=""> </span>Yet, he was deliberately not looking at her.<span style=""> </span>He had disconnected himself from her in order to teach her a lesson.<span style=""> </span>And, oh what a lesson this man was teaching his child!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">“I’m sorry, Daddy.”<span style=""> </span>She offered these words from the center of her little heart, wholeheartedly and sincerely, hoping for the gift of her father’s forgiveness. I don’t know why she was apologizing.<span style=""> </span>I have no idea if she had literally done something worthy of issuing an apology or not; however, she was in need of being seen and heard.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">“No you’re not,” he coldly chided her.<span style=""> </span>He did not look at his child.<span style=""> </span>He was intentionally abandoning her when she needed him the most. The man was cool, in control, and his ego was running amuck.<span style=""> </span>I reminded myself to be still, to witness, to hold her little spirit with love, and to pray for them.<span style=""> </span><i style="">Come on, little one.<span style=""> </span>Own your feelings.<span style=""> </span>Take your stand.<span style=""> </span>Own your power. </i>Her little body, previously strong, alert, full of energy and life was now wilting before my very eyes.<span style=""> </span>Her small shoulders now dropped and curled inward…..I thought her chest would cave in from the weight of her father’s words on her heart.<span style=""> </span>Heaviness.<span style=""> </span>Oh, the heaviness.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Her heart, overflowing with emotion, would not be denied.<span style=""> </span>Honestly, respectfully, apologetically she offered, “Yes, I am.”<span style=""> </span>The words quivered as they vibrated outward and upward from her tender spirit.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Again, he did not respond. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">I watched her as she checked herself.<span style=""> </span>She looked down at her body, questioning whether or not she was visible.<span style=""> </span>I witnessed her “check” her father, looking up at him with expectation and anticipation, only to be confused by his inability to see her. She did not understand. She was afraid.<span style=""> </span>She was angry.<span style=""> </span><i style="">Come on, sweetheart. <span style=""> </span>Speak your truth. Own your feelings.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><i style=""><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">This little soul, with big round blue eyes and smooth waves of long blond hair, paused.<span style=""> </span>She looked within, listened to her spirit’s prompting and responded, <b style="">“How do <i style="">you know</i> I’m not sorry?”</b> The words rang out into the air loud, clear, and true. She was not challenging her father.<span style=""> </span>She was simply asking.<span style=""> </span>She knew what she was feeling.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">She waited for his response.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">There was none.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Nothing.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">No thing.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">He aggressively whipped open the car door and nonverbally gestured for the kids to climb into the vehicle.<span style=""> </span>They obeyed, crawled in, both parking in their assigned spots.<span style=""> </span>The little girl’s final resignation was more than I could stomach. Her light had just been extinguished. My eyes began to fill with tears.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">That final scene was one of the most sorrow-full scenes I have ever observed. I witnessed the disconnect and deep distress as they engraved themselves on that precious, vulnerable, newly forming heart.<span style=""> </span>I had just seen the little girl’s body, mind, and spirit progressively shut down.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">As I watched them drive away I repeated her question. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="font-size: 16pt;">“How do you know?”</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Jeanne Brumbaughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14601953511998061882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738389907051874346.post-8033160581231082832008-07-18T11:33:00.000-07:002008-07-18T11:42:18.396-07:00Mother Gives Feedback About Daughter's Session<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">"Thank you so much for seeing ___today. She said she felt so much while you were working with her. When you had your hand over her third eye, she saw colors, and was just about to tell you that when the Lion told you to stop. You were so right about the problems she has articulating things, and the digestive problems, AND the breathing problems. She has had asthma since she was about 1 yr. old....She would like to schedule an appointment with you pretty soon to do the past life regression thing....I think one of the biggest things you do for people is to help them know they are special and unique, and important! It's nice to know that we are truly noticed by the universe.<br /><br />You are a treasure on this earth. <br />Thank you."<br /></span></span></span>Jeanne Brumbaughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14601953511998061882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738389907051874346.post-10284597352764468962008-07-14T13:17:00.000-07:002008-07-14T13:38:22.996-07:00FEEDBACK FROM CLIENTS<span style="font-weight: bold;">On July 11, 2008 S.'s email read:</span><br /><br />...I wanted you to know that I felt FANTASTIC after our session last night! Like...I don't know if I have ever felt that good in my whole life. Physically, I was just walking on air, and Spiritually, wow! I have been thinking constantly of all the things you told me, especially the affirmations. I couldn't stop talking to everyone about how amazing you are. You totally ROCK!....Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for being the person you are, and thank you for giving up teaching English!<br /><br />I still feel great since our session, especially at that place in my back that you worked your magic on. It has been really hurting for about a month, and I just hadn't gotten around to seeing a chiropractor. It's amazing how you zeroed in on the exact spot that hurt, even though I hadn't mentioned anything to you about it! I am learning to open myself to receive abundance, thanks to you. YOU are a big blessing in my life! Thanks so much!<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">On June 14, 2008 H.'s email offered:</span><br /><br />It was nice to see you again. I must admit you confirmed something for me today. In recent years when something seemed true I would feel certain sensations. Today it hit home. Yeah, these sensations are really what they mean. Talking to you after everything you said it was like boom, boom, boom. Okay, I'm not crazy. So, thank you.<br /><br />I must also say I'm still not 100% sure what part the fairies are to play in my life but I do know they are there. My flowers in my yard are beautiful. Things have appeared for me and I'm not sure how they got there. I couldn't find a ring and I asked them to help me find it. Within a week it showed up on top of a jewelry pile. I give them thanks by leaving chocolate and a shinny wrapper in my garden. I told my sister of this and she asked the fae into her yard. She left a gift of chocolate in a shinny wrapper. An apple tree that has never produced had blooms this year! She also said her flowers have never looked more vibrant.<br /><br />....Thank you for helping me to find a peace. When I get back I would like to schedule an hour session. You bring out the best in me.<br /><br />Thank you and Bless YouJeanne Brumbaughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14601953511998061882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738389907051874346.post-49380054932743158302008-07-13T15:41:00.000-07:002008-07-13T16:02:29.687-07:00Gratitude<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Melody Beattie</span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">JEAN'S GRATITUDE CHALLENGE</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Friends,<br /><br />I invite you to consider whether or not you practice an <span style="font-weight: bold;">ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE</span> on a daily basis. Developing an attitude of gratitude WILL change your life. Are you a "glass is half-full" or a "glass is half-empty" type of person? Are you an optimist or a pessimist? You are probably saying, "Jean, what difference does it make?" IT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD. Why should you make the time to focus on gratitude? Because what you focus on GROWS! <br /><br />I want to challenge you today to begin keeping a <span style="font-weight: bold;">GRATITUDE JOURNAL</span>. Write down at least 5 things each day for which you are grateful. Celebrate the gifts you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch! Accept my invitation to practice an attitude of gratitude and you'll soon understand that <span style="font-weight: bold;">A LITTLE GRATITUDE GOES A LONG WAY!</span><br /><br />With Gratitude,<br />Jean<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">JEAN'S GRATITUDE JOURNAL<br />JULY 13, 2008<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">1. I am grateful for the flowers in my butterfly gardens!<br />2. I am grateful for music!<br />3. I am grateful for the precious words, "I love you."<br />4. I am grateful for new beginnings.<br />5. I am grateful for Tyler's Mystic Moon.<br />6. I am grateful for the book, THE MAGIC BOX, by Egan Sanders.<br />7. I am grateful for having buttermilk pancakes (with peaches, blueberries, and real maple syrup) with my father and my sister.<br />8. I am grateful for my blessed life.<br />9. I am grateful for giggles.<br />10. I am grateful for the gift of the present.<br /></div></div></div></div>Jeanne Brumbaughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14601953511998061882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738389907051874346.post-39454985510976494722007-11-18T20:57:00.001-08:002007-11-18T21:01:42.777-08:00Welcome to Compassionate Illumination<h5>It is with great enthusiasm that I welcome you to my blog!I hope you find the testimonials and materials to be thought provoking. Scroll down and perhaps your curiosity will be sparked as a result and you will choose to visit my website at<br /><a href="http://www.compassionateillumination.com/">www.compassionateillumination.com</a>!<br />After you have perused my blog and website I am hoping you will be intrigued enough to contact me in order to discuss my work and perhaps schedule a session!<br /><br />I am honored to meet your acquaintance. I don’t believe in coincidence; rather, I believe everything happens for a reason. If you happened to “land” on my blog by happenstance then I consider us both to be blessed!<br /><br />My blog and website are in the early stages of development. Kindly practice patience as new information is being added each day. If you wish to contact me you may do so by emailing me at the following address: <a href="mailto:illuminata306@hotmail.com">illuminata306@hotmail.com</a><br /><br />I wish you peace, joy, and abundant happiness! I look forward to hearing from you! Spread the word!<br /><br /> Joyfully,<br /> Jean<br /></h5>Jeanne Brumbaughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14601953511998061882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738389907051874346.post-50360271109828345202007-10-24T16:21:00.001-07:002007-10-25T19:26:17.185-07:00Testimonial #<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_a4LIFlzI34I/Rx_T09NSHnI/AAAAAAAAAD0/zmorOJUw9pg/s1600-h/Testimonial+%2312.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_a4LIFlzI34I/Rx_T09NSHnI/AAAAAAAAAD0/zmorOJUw9pg/s400/Testimonial+%2312.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125047807707848306" border="0" /></a>Jeanne Brumbaughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14601953511998061882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738389907051874346.post-51561337011219338312007-10-24T16:15:00.001-07:002007-10-24T16:17:45.443-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_a4LIFlzI34I/Rx_SbtNSHlI/AAAAAAAAADo/0e7_P2JAOdQ/s1600-h/Testimonial+%2310.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_a4LIFlzI34I/Rx_SbtNSHlI/AAAAAAAAADo/0e7_P2JAOdQ/s400/Testimonial+%2310.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125046274404523602" border="0" /></a>Jeanne Brumbaughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14601953511998061882noreply@blogger.com