Monday, March 25, 2013

Do you feel sad around Easter?

Greetings!

Do you feel sad around Easter?

Two years ago, some of my sisters at church said they felt sad every year around Easter.  They were not alone.  I had heard other people saying they felt sad around this time of the year.  Collectively, I believed some people always connected Easter with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and dwelt on the physical suffering of Jesus.

If we dwelt on how Jesus died, we had missed the significance of his life.  He came to show us the way to live our life - love God, love one another, and love ourselves.  He wanted us to celebrate life which was created by God by living fully in love.  He taught us to look at others with non-judging eyes, and the importance of forgiveness.  Did you think Jesus wanted us to condemn Judas year after year as the Easter service in many churches?

Spring is here, my brothers and sisters.  Soon we will see lively, fresh green leaves on the trees.  It coincides with the resurrection of life or the season of Easter.  Rise and rejoice.  The Christ light lives within you and me.  Life is eternal and love is.

Please click to view Words of Christ and the 4444 incident

Have a Happy Easter!

Many blessings,
Q of D      

Friday, March 22, 2013

My Three Decks of Angel Cards

Greetings!

I have three decks of angel cards.

My family did not know anything about angels and spirit guides.  When I heard my spirit guide's voice for the first time, I did not know what to think.  I called my younger son who was a freshman in a university.  I thought the message must be for him for he was wise, but he said it was for me because I was the one who received it. Eventually, I learned from the books that we all had our own spirit guides and angels.  According to the books, we did not have to know their names.  When we talked to them, they would respond because they were here to love, guide, and protect us.  So I started talking to my guides and angels with the names I made up.

One Christmas, my son bought me a deck of angel cards with a book on angels.  I learned to draw a card or two from the deck every now and then for guidance. Thanks to my son, I forged a close relationship with the angels.  My heart was constantly filled with awe and love because of the touches of the Divine.  Although we were going through the toughest of time, I was able to come out of the experience feeling humble, grateful, loved, and jubilant.

In June of 2006, the facilitator of the Thursday circle brought us to Camp Chesterfield in Indiana.  I bought the 'Archangel Oracle Cards' in the store.  When I began using the deck, I kept drawing the same card.

                                                   Healthy Life Style
Archangel Raphael: "Eat a healthful diet, get adequate sleep, and exercise regularly for optimal health."

I knew I was not living right.  I seldom exercised.  I went to bed around midnight to 2 a.m.  I was very sensitive to light and sound.  When our sons were babies, I always knew the second they woke up even though they were in another bedroom.  I woke up whenever someone turned on the faucet or flushed the toilet.  When I woke up during the night, sometimes it took me 2 to 3 hours before I was able to fall asleep again.  Fortunately, the lack of sleep did not seem to have an effect on me except once in a long while I had to sleep for ten hours or more to regain my energy.  During that time, my family learned to leave me alone.  On the whole, I seemed to have more energy or endurance than the average person, but I knew I was not fit physically.  

My eating habit was not good too.  If I was alone at home, sometimes I ate nothing from morning to 3 or 4 p.m.  At others times, I ate on and off throughout the day because there were fruit and nuts that I liked.  I loved seafood and vegetables too. I had stomach aches from time to time.  I thought I might be allergic to some food, but I never stopped eating anything because of the stomach aches.

When I drew the Healthy Life Style card again and again, I knew I definitely needed to change my living habits.  I tried to take a walk every morning.  At night, I went to bed before midnight even if I was not sleepy.  I ate lunch regularly.  I knew I was not very discipline, and I asked Archangel Raphael to help me.

One day, I ate very little during lunch.  Around 4 p.m., I felt hungry.  I ate a bowl of grape tomatoes.  Then I saw the mangoes in a big wooden bowl.  Mangoes, lychee, cherries, blueberries, figs, and persimmons were some of my favorite fruits.  Since I was still hungry, I wanted to eat a mango.  As soon as I picked one up, I felt pain in my stomach.  I put down the mango.  I waited in anticipation for the continuous stomach ache before I walked to the bathroom, but the pain seemed to be gone.  So I picked up a mango, and immediately I felt the pain in my stomach again.  Suddenly, I realized the angel was teaching me to pay attention to my body which was telling me 'it was not a good idea to eat a mango after a bowl of grape tomatoes'.  As this thought came to me, I put down the mango.  The pain disappeared, and it never resurfaced that day.

Since that day, I paid more attention to what my body was telling me.  I observed my body really let me know what was not good to eat or mix from time to time.  For instance, I put something in my mouth, and immediately a blister developed on my tongue.  It was an indication I should not eat it.  I used to ignore these signs.  Now I yielded to the warning of my body.  I still had stomach ache sometimes, but it was far less often than before.

In December 2010, I went to hear Karen's lecture on angels.  During the break, I summed up my courage to walk to Karen.  She immediately realized I must be the Chinese woman who wrote to her after her 2009 lecture.  We chatted for a while.  At the end of the night, there was a drawing for prizes.  Names were randomly drawn by the host of the night (not by Karen, the speaker).  My name was drawn!  I won a beautiful box of 'Angel Therapy Oracle Cards' - the only deck of angel cards among the few prizes!  What a confirmation from the angels!  Karen was sitting on the first row. She looked back at me with her thumb up when she heard my name.  (Please click to view A book from the angels and the link to Karen's blog)

Have you begun to talk to your angels yet?  If not, I hope you will start today.  May you enjoy your experience with the angels.

To all the angels, thank you for your presence in our lives.

Love,
Q of D

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

The 'Ten More' in How to Treat Others

Greetings!

I watched a Chinese martial art movie online the other day.  In one of the scenes, I saw these words "How to treat others" in a frame hanging on a wall.  The simple words or advices drew my attention.  I hit the pause button, and copied them down.

                                            HOW  TO  TREAT  OTHERS

                                                   MORE RESPECT
                                                               TRUST
(Treat others with ...                             FORGIVING                    
           or                                                 UNDERSTANDING
   give others.....)                                     PRAISE
                                                                LOVE
                                                                CARING
                                                                SMILES
                                                                HELP
                                                                SPACE

My English translation may not be perfect, but in the intention of love, I share with you the simple wisdom I find while watching a movie.  When people talk about how to treat others, we often hear love, respect, forgiveness, or treat others how we want to be treated.  Giving others more space, more praise, and smile more while interacting may not be on the list of golden rules, but I personally find the advices very refreshing.

Peace,
Q of D 

Saturday, March 9, 2013

The addiction of electronic gadgets and our endless desires

Greetings!

In a recent visit, a relative expressed his desire to buy a new TV.  He was hesitant to spend the money because his income had dropped due to the present economy.  I said, "The pictures on your TV are crisp and nice.  Your TV seems to be fine."  He confirmed that there was indeed nothing wrong with his TV.  He bought the 42" TV a couple of years ago.  He said he and his wife seldom had the time to sit down and watch TV, however, he saw his friends had larger size TVs in their homes.  

I asked how his two children were doing, and if they watched TV a lot.  He said they seldom watched the TV.  When they were home after school, they often went straight to their computers.  If they weren't on their computers, they were talking or texting on their phones.  He resigned to the fact that they were growing up.  There had not been much verbal communication or interaction between them (he and his wife) and their children.

My relative's family is not that different from many other families.  Nowadays, some people spend more time on their electronic gadgets than interactions with their family and friends. Some line up overnights in order to be the first ones in line to buy the latest electronic models.  When new version comes out on the market in four to five months, they feel the need to keep up.  So the chase for the newest model of gadget goes on.  We are like the hungry dogs on a race track chasing after the fake rabbit (our endless desireswhich is forever running a distance ahead.

We went to eat dim sum in a Chinese restaurant the other day.  A family of four came and sat at a table next to us.  The woman was very upset with her two teenage daughters for their nonstop use of the phones.  She kept admonishing them.  Her daughters never responded because their attention was on the phones in their hands. While this was going on, the woman's husband was on his notebook computer.  He, too, did not seem to hear a word she said.

Some children and teenagers are so addicted to electronic gadgets in part** because of the parents.  The parents allow them to spend as much time as they want on these gadgets at an early age.  In some families, video games, computers, and phones have inadvertently become the babysitters of choice.  The parents assume they give their children what they want as well as a step ahead of others in this modern age of technology.  Furthermore, with the 'babysitters of choice', the adults are glad that they have more time to themselves.  In time, some parents feel the disconnection between them and their children.  However, they see it as the common behavior of today's youth.  They conclude they can do nothing about it but to accept.

A friend told me she felt very lonely on the days she and her husband did not have to go to work.  I was surprised.  They were a happy couple at work.  She said, "At work, we interact and work well together.  On the days we are off, sometimes we just stay home.  He is on his laptop, and I am on mine.  Although we are in the same house, but I feel more isolated than I am alone in the house."

We are in the electronic age.  Electronic gadgets have become part of our life.  Some people identify their worth with the gadgets they hold in their hands or in their houses. Some people are so attached to their computers and phones that they feel they cannot live without them.  Some students as well as adults cannot do a simple math without a calculator.  We forget they are the tools we create to make our life more convenient, or they are gadgets for entertainment purposes.  Instead, some of us have become the slaves of the tools, or the dependents of our creation.

We must not forget we are in control of our own life.  We can choose how to spend our money and time.  Holding the latest model of a gadget, driving the newest fancy car, or living in a luxurious mansion may give us some temporary satisfaction of ownership.  However, the model we hold in our hands will in time become an old model, and so is the fancy car.  When the economy was blooming, some people invested in bigger houses than they could afford.  Many houses were foreclosed in recent years due to the downturn of the economy.  When will we learn the lesson that simple is a better way of living?

We should not let our lavish desires rule our life.  At the end of our days on earth, we cannot bring with us the luxurious mansion, the fancy car, or the wealth we have accumulated.  Let us take some time to think about what truly are important in our life. We can begin by asking ourselves questions such as 'What do I want to accomplish in this lifetime?' and  'How do I live a meaningful or purposeful life?'  The answer lies within each one of us.  We all make mistakes in the journey of life, however, it is never too late to make a change or some adjustments.

Our children need our love, care, and time.  We cannot substitute love and time with gifts.  Most of the children look up to the parents.  We can't expect them to listen to us such as don't smoke or use drugs if we ourselves smoke or use drugs.  It is the same with talking on the phone or using the computer.  When we set rules for their use of electronic gadgets, we have to make sure we don't spend unnecessary long period of time on them ourselves.  We can ask our children to be more involved in the family activities, e.g., cleaning the house, taking a walk in the park, seeing a movie, walking the dog, or participating in a family discussion.  Don't be discouraged if they say 'no', and don't stop reaching out to them.  Have patience listening to their talk or even complaints because it is vital in the process of fostering a healthy relationship.  

I read on the newspaper that Mr. Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft Corporation, and his wife only let their children have their first cell phone when they reach the age of 13.  I also read that The First Lady and President Obama set strict rules for their daughters on how much time they can spend on the TV and their computers.  As busy as they are, they make sure they eat dinner and spend time with their daughters too.  It may be we can learn something from them.

My friend said sometimes she felt lonely when she and her husband were on their own laptops.  I understood how she felt.  My husband had a very passive personality. During the restaurant years, I was greatly affected by his unhappy mood and negative attitude.  One day, I 'heard' my spirit guide said I was partly at fault of how I felt because I could be (or choose to be) happy no matter what.  Over the years, I found what he said was true.  We had a choice.  We could choose to be happy and joyous no matter what situations we were in.  It was our attitude that mattered the most in any situation.  (Click to view If he loves me enough, he would have..... )

I asked my friend to think of the things that gave her joy in doing them.  For instance, if she liked painting, she could take a painting class on the days she was off.  Or, she could put away her laptop and go to the basement to do some paintings.  If her husband had no plan for the day, she could plan where she wanted to go or how she wanted to spend the day.  It was their day off, her husband would likely agree if she suggested.

What are the things that give you joy, my friends?  In truth, we are expressions of love and joy.  When our life is not, it may be a reminder to look within and see if we need to make some adjustments in the way we live or the way we look at a situation.

Love and peace,
Q of D

**Life is far more complicated than what seems to be on the surface.  It is no coincidence we are members of a family.  Some parents may have tried their best, but their children turn out to be an alcoholic or a drug addict.  Therefore, it would be wrong to generalize that it is the fault of the parents.  Earth is a school.  Each one of us has different lessons to learn and challenges to overcome.

May all of us live, love, and learn in the ease and grace of the Loving Divine.  Amen.