Greetings!
Every summer my younger son and his family spend most weekends in a cabin owned by his father-in-law. Our son and daughter-in-law say that the cabin is by a lake, and right outside of the cabin is the beach. They love going there because it is quiet and peaceful. They feel relaxed and renewed after staying there for the weekend. Most of all, the kids have a good time swimming as well as playing in the sand.
Last year our daughter-in-law's father hired some people to add a second floor to the cabin. Since then he had kindly told us we were welcomed to go there.
This summer our daughter-in-law plans to visit places such as the zoo, parks, science center, and museums with the kids on weekdays. Our son has to go to work. Our daughter-in-law asks us to join them so that we can have some fun and meanwhile help watching over the kids. My husband prefers to stay home, and does not enjoy going places. As a result, I go with our loved ones most of the times. Thanks to our daughter-in-law, I have visited quite a few places since school is over.
On many occasions while I am with my loved ones, they ask when we (my husband and me) would go to the the cabin with them. I know my husband probably does not want to go. Besides, I do not know how to swim. Therefore, I keep saying 'no'. Our two oldest grandchildren (6 and 4) try to convince me by telling me how much fun they have playing on the beach. "It (swimming) is easy. Ah Ma (grandma), we will teach you!" they say. Meanwhile, our son and daughter-in-law assure me that I don't have to swim if I don't want to. They say the water near the beach is shallow that I can take a walk in the water without fear.
Recently I finally said 'yes'. I knew the kids really wanted to share with me the experience they enjoyed so much. They would keep asking until I said 'yes'. The weather was nice (in the 70 s). I thought it was all right even though my husband wanted to stay home.
It was a 3 1/2 hours drive to the cabin. On the way, my daughter-in-law asked what made me change my mind that I finally said 'yes'. I thought for a little while, and gave my honest answer, "Part of the reason I say 'no' is I don't know how to swim. I know you mean well, and really want me to go. All of you have been asking me to go to the cabin with you for quite some time. I know you will keep asking, and so I say 'yes'." My daughter-in-law said, "Does it mean that if somebody wants you to do something, you will do it if he or she keeps on pushing you?" She paused for a short while, and continued, "Is it part of your weakness that you need people to push you to do something?" I was silent for a while. I said, "Ah ... I never look at it that way." "But is it (part of your weakness)?" my daughter-in-law said with a light-hearted laugh. "I guess you can say that," I replied with a smile. I supposed we all learned something about ourselves (be it our strength or weakness) from others from time to time.
Our daughter-in-law's father had a boat, and he took us for a ride. I stayed in the boat while my loved ones swam. They tried to get me wet, but I escaped by staying behind the glass. I saw my son and daughter-in-law whispered in each other's ears. I tried to be alert when they came back onto the boat. Lo and behold, my dear daughter-in-law and son hugged me with their wet, wet life jackets on! They said, "I love you!" I could only laugh. I loved you too, my dear ones.
To my loved ones, thank you for the experience. To my daughter-in-law's father, thank you for allowing me to stay in the cabin, and thank you for the boat ride.
August will soon be here. To all of you, I send my love and blessings.
Peace,
Q of D
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Monday, July 14, 2014
A Strange Conversation with a Professor
Greetings!
I woke up remembering a strange conversation during a chance meeting.
Since I stepped out of my comfort zone to socialize with people, I had quite a few strange encounters. I was more of a listener or an observer than one who was quick to ask questions. During those unexpected encounters, I felt unsettled as he or she walked away. In most cases, we never met again.
I was at church that day. As usual, I sat near the back. During the service, I walked to the front of the chapel to light a candle for my husband. I said a short prayer and gave thanks to the Ascended Masters. At the end, I said, "May the Grace of God shine through to each one of us. Amen."
Later, a pastor introduced this Sunday's speaker, an American woman in her 40 s. I realized I had seen her walked in with an American man earlier. The speaker was a psychic medium, a spiritual teacher, a writer, a therapist and workshop facilitator. Her life story was quite interesting. As expected, many in the congregation surrounded her after service was over because people liked to talk to psychics and mediums.
I did not leave the church right away as I normally did. At that time, I was somewhat new to the church and the church to me. I only knew a few people at church. Before the service, a friend had asked me to stay behind so that she could talk to me. I saw my friend was busy talking to other people. I waited by the window. Unexpectedly, some people came to me. They said tears filled their eyes when I said the prayer. A woman said she and her husband cried as I talked. It might be the words from my heart had touched their hearts. All I could do was to look at them with love and gratitude.
A while later, I was surprised that the American man who walked in with the speaker was standing next to me. He asked if I was born in XX and raised in XX. I answered yes to both questions. I found his questions strange. I guessed it might be he heard my accent when I said the prayer. He told me his name. He said he was a professor at XX university, a university in the place that I came from. (As I had mentioned, I only finished high school and had never attended college.) He said he had written some book. Then, he said, "You have read one of my books." I thought I must have heard it wrong. He mentioned the title of the book. The title sounded unfamiliar. I said, "No, I have not read that book." Strangely, he seemed to be sure that I had read his book.
He began to talk to me in Cantonese, the Chinese language that I spoke. He spoke Cantonese fluently. He told me his wife was a Chinese from Shanghai who now taught in the same university as he did. He said I might have read about their wedding on the Chinese newspapers. He told me his Chinese name and his wife's name. I got the impression that they were known among the Chinese there. I told him I did not recall reading about their wedding on the Chinese newspapers. He wanted to talk some more, but my friend came. She did not realize the man had been talking to me. She kept talking, and he walked away.
A while later, some friends and I talked near the back of the chapel. I saw the speaker walked in our direction from the front of the church. As she walked, people stopped her every now and then to talk to her. Suddenly, I 'got' that she came for me! She talked to the friends that stood before me for a brief second. She came and gave me a hug. I felt very peaceful as we hugged. It was a long embrace. As we parted, she said, "What a sweet spirit! I could have stayed in your energy forever."
When I was home, I thought about the strange conversation with the professor.
Suddenly, it came to me that I had indeed read that book. I was in the library, and a thin, thin book tucked between books caught my attention. It was a book about death and spirits. At home, I was surprised to learn the author (an American) lived in the place that I came from. In the book, he wrote about his many visits to local fortunetellers and mediums. He wrote at length about a medium, an old Chinese woman that had accurately described some of the events that happened to him in the past. She knew things about the author's brother whom she had never met. (His brother lived in U.S.A.) She told him about future events too. The author wrote the old woman refused to see him when he went there for a second visit. There were always people waiting in a room for a chance to talk to the medium. He eventually got to talk to the medium again because of his persistence.
The professor said he had written some books, yet insisted that I had read that particular book. How did he know? The professor must be either very intuitive or had heard about our chance meeting through the old Chinese woman ahead of time. I also kind of remembered reading about their marriage on the Chinese newspapers. At the time, I did not pay much attention since I did not know them.
I did not know why I recalled this incident at this time. I did not think I would meet the speaker or the professor again since I had moved out of that state. Occasionally, I wondered if it was simply my personality at work that I did not ask questions when it happened. In other words, I should have asked others why they said this or that. Or, it was in divine order that I did not ask for answers because sometimes those chance encounters were but trigger points for me to seek the truth within.
Life is a mystery. I am seeking just as you are (or most of you).
Love,
Q of D
I woke up remembering a strange conversation during a chance meeting.
Since I stepped out of my comfort zone to socialize with people, I had quite a few strange encounters. I was more of a listener or an observer than one who was quick to ask questions. During those unexpected encounters, I felt unsettled as he or she walked away. In most cases, we never met again.
I was at church that day. As usual, I sat near the back. During the service, I walked to the front of the chapel to light a candle for my husband. I said a short prayer and gave thanks to the Ascended Masters. At the end, I said, "May the Grace of God shine through to each one of us. Amen."
Later, a pastor introduced this Sunday's speaker, an American woman in her 40 s. I realized I had seen her walked in with an American man earlier. The speaker was a psychic medium, a spiritual teacher, a writer, a therapist and workshop facilitator. Her life story was quite interesting. As expected, many in the congregation surrounded her after service was over because people liked to talk to psychics and mediums.
I did not leave the church right away as I normally did. At that time, I was somewhat new to the church and the church to me. I only knew a few people at church. Before the service, a friend had asked me to stay behind so that she could talk to me. I saw my friend was busy talking to other people. I waited by the window. Unexpectedly, some people came to me. They said tears filled their eyes when I said the prayer. A woman said she and her husband cried as I talked. It might be the words from my heart had touched their hearts. All I could do was to look at them with love and gratitude.
A while later, I was surprised that the American man who walked in with the speaker was standing next to me. He asked if I was born in XX and raised in XX. I answered yes to both questions. I found his questions strange. I guessed it might be he heard my accent when I said the prayer. He told me his name. He said he was a professor at XX university, a university in the place that I came from. (As I had mentioned, I only finished high school and had never attended college.) He said he had written some book. Then, he said, "You have read one of my books." I thought I must have heard it wrong. He mentioned the title of the book. The title sounded unfamiliar. I said, "No, I have not read that book." Strangely, he seemed to be sure that I had read his book.
He began to talk to me in Cantonese, the Chinese language that I spoke. He spoke Cantonese fluently. He told me his wife was a Chinese from Shanghai who now taught in the same university as he did. He said I might have read about their wedding on the Chinese newspapers. He told me his Chinese name and his wife's name. I got the impression that they were known among the Chinese there. I told him I did not recall reading about their wedding on the Chinese newspapers. He wanted to talk some more, but my friend came. She did not realize the man had been talking to me. She kept talking, and he walked away.
A while later, some friends and I talked near the back of the chapel. I saw the speaker walked in our direction from the front of the church. As she walked, people stopped her every now and then to talk to her. Suddenly, I 'got' that she came for me! She talked to the friends that stood before me for a brief second. She came and gave me a hug. I felt very peaceful as we hugged. It was a long embrace. As we parted, she said, "What a sweet spirit! I could have stayed in your energy forever."
When I was home, I thought about the strange conversation with the professor.
Suddenly, it came to me that I had indeed read that book. I was in the library, and a thin, thin book tucked between books caught my attention. It was a book about death and spirits. At home, I was surprised to learn the author (an American) lived in the place that I came from. In the book, he wrote about his many visits to local fortunetellers and mediums. He wrote at length about a medium, an old Chinese woman that had accurately described some of the events that happened to him in the past. She knew things about the author's brother whom she had never met. (His brother lived in U.S.A.) She told him about future events too. The author wrote the old woman refused to see him when he went there for a second visit. There were always people waiting in a room for a chance to talk to the medium. He eventually got to talk to the medium again because of his persistence.
The professor said he had written some books, yet insisted that I had read that particular book. How did he know? The professor must be either very intuitive or had heard about our chance meeting through the old Chinese woman ahead of time. I also kind of remembered reading about their marriage on the Chinese newspapers. At the time, I did not pay much attention since I did not know them.
I did not know why I recalled this incident at this time. I did not think I would meet the speaker or the professor again since I had moved out of that state. Occasionally, I wondered if it was simply my personality at work that I did not ask questions when it happened. In other words, I should have asked others why they said this or that. Or, it was in divine order that I did not ask for answers because sometimes those chance encounters were but trigger points for me to seek the truth within.
Life is a mystery. I am seeking just as you are (or most of you).
Love,
Q of D
Friday, July 4, 2014
All in One and One in All
Greetings!
I would like to share with you two dreams. I had the dreams one after the other in the same night some years ago. When I woke up, I realized they had the same theme which I would explain later in the post.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I stood in front of a female author. I asked about the cost of her book. She said it was $13.75. It was a good book. I gave her $25, $20 for the book and $5 as my way of thanking her. She signed on the cover of the book. The color of the cover was orange-peach with a tint of red.
Later I saw what she wrote on the cover was kind of strange. Normally, the author addressed the reader first or put the name of the reader on the top as that of a letter, and signed her name on the bottom. However, on the cover, I saw my name on the bottom as if I was the author.
The next scene in the dream - I washed the cover with water until the words were removed.
A man saw me holding the book. He asked to borrow it after I finished reading it. I said, "Yes." I said it was a good book.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
In a restaurant, the three of us (a cook, a waiter, and a waitress) sat at a table in the dining room. Two men dressed in expensive suits stood by our table. They were customers who were there to place orders. They were very demanding and particular in how they wanted their food. At one point, one of them made a rude judgmental comment. I stood up and asked them to follow me to the outside. Though they were reluctant, they did as I asked.
We walked past the manager. Outside of the dining room, there were 4 booths along one side of the wall. I asked them to sit down in the last booth. Standing in front of them, I began lecturing them about life, judgment, and so on. In the dream, somehow they had to listen, and I wasn't harsh as I talked. At the end, I said, "Now go inside and eat with a heart of gratitude. Food would only taste good if you eat with a heart of gratitude." They stood up and went back to the dining room.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Upon waking up, this came to my mind.
The boundary between author and reader or customer and waitress was very blurry in the dreams.
In the first dream, the one who bought the book found her name on the bottom of the cover as if she was the author, while the author signed her name as if she was the reader. In the second dream, the two well-dressed customers were standing while the servers (cook, waiter, and waitress) sat at a table in the dining room. In life's setting, it was the opposite.
I realized the dreams had the same theme, and these words came to me -
All in One and One in All.
The act of washing the words from the cover symbolized that it was not important who the author or the reader was. They were two yet one. I should look at others in the dreams as myself, i.e. the author was me, the waiter was me, the customer was me, and so on. In other words, the one who lectured about life should see herself in the one who was being lectured as well. With this understanding, we knew not to judge but adjust our view and attitude. With this understanding, we could look at situations or others in our lives with discernment and/or compassion. Sometimes when we saw something was wrong be it our own doing or others, it was but a cause for the wholesome thought to come through and put into action. (If you may, please click to view the post What if you are at the RECEIVING END of your own WRATH? which was also about our oneness.)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
We don't come into being from nowhere (All in One). There is divinity in you and me (One in All). It is for us to seek and turn within to find out who we truly are. With our ego or deluded mind, it is not easy to look at others with discernment or compassion consistently. Seeing the chaos around us, sometimes we may feel life is senseless or meaningless. It may help to remind ourselves from time to time that we are not just the human beings we appear to be. 'Food would only taste good if we eat with a heart of gratitude' and 'life is more meaningful if we live with a heart of gratitude'.
Peace,
Q of D
P. S. The human I felt "All is One and One in All" sounded right, but "All in One and One in All' was what I wrote down in the journal.
I would like to share with you two dreams. I had the dreams one after the other in the same night some years ago. When I woke up, I realized they had the same theme which I would explain later in the post.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I stood in front of a female author. I asked about the cost of her book. She said it was $13.75. It was a good book. I gave her $25, $20 for the book and $5 as my way of thanking her. She signed on the cover of the book. The color of the cover was orange-peach with a tint of red.
Later I saw what she wrote on the cover was kind of strange. Normally, the author addressed the reader first or put the name of the reader on the top as that of a letter, and signed her name on the bottom. However, on the cover, I saw my name on the bottom as if I was the author.
The next scene in the dream - I washed the cover with water until the words were removed.
A man saw me holding the book. He asked to borrow it after I finished reading it. I said, "Yes." I said it was a good book.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
In a restaurant, the three of us (a cook, a waiter, and a waitress) sat at a table in the dining room. Two men dressed in expensive suits stood by our table. They were customers who were there to place orders. They were very demanding and particular in how they wanted their food. At one point, one of them made a rude judgmental comment. I stood up and asked them to follow me to the outside. Though they were reluctant, they did as I asked.
We walked past the manager. Outside of the dining room, there were 4 booths along one side of the wall. I asked them to sit down in the last booth. Standing in front of them, I began lecturing them about life, judgment, and so on. In the dream, somehow they had to listen, and I wasn't harsh as I talked. At the end, I said, "Now go inside and eat with a heart of gratitude. Food would only taste good if you eat with a heart of gratitude." They stood up and went back to the dining room.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Upon waking up, this came to my mind.
The boundary between author and reader or customer and waitress was very blurry in the dreams.
In the first dream, the one who bought the book found her name on the bottom of the cover as if she was the author, while the author signed her name as if she was the reader. In the second dream, the two well-dressed customers were standing while the servers (cook, waiter, and waitress) sat at a table in the dining room. In life's setting, it was the opposite.
I realized the dreams had the same theme, and these words came to me -
All in One and One in All.
The act of washing the words from the cover symbolized that it was not important who the author or the reader was. They were two yet one. I should look at others in the dreams as myself, i.e. the author was me, the waiter was me, the customer was me, and so on. In other words, the one who lectured about life should see herself in the one who was being lectured as well. With this understanding, we knew not to judge but adjust our view and attitude. With this understanding, we could look at situations or others in our lives with discernment and/or compassion. Sometimes when we saw something was wrong be it our own doing or others, it was but a cause for the wholesome thought to come through and put into action. (If you may, please click to view the post What if you are at the RECEIVING END of your own WRATH? which was also about our oneness.)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
We don't come into being from nowhere (All in One). There is divinity in you and me (One in All). It is for us to seek and turn within to find out who we truly are. With our ego or deluded mind, it is not easy to look at others with discernment or compassion consistently. Seeing the chaos around us, sometimes we may feel life is senseless or meaningless. It may help to remind ourselves from time to time that we are not just the human beings we appear to be. 'Food would only taste good if we eat with a heart of gratitude' and 'life is more meaningful if we live with a heart of gratitude'.
Peace,
Q of D
P. S. The human I felt "All is One and One in All" sounded right, but "All in One and One in All' was what I wrote down in the journal.
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