Suddenly, I announced, "It is time to buy another car!"

Greetings!

Soon it will be September.  Students will go back to school.  Some parents may be in the process of buying a car for their son / daughter who goes to high school or university.  I would like to share with you the following experience.

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As mentioned in my other posts, our sons did not have a car when they attended colleges.  We had only one car.  We drove to see them or pick them up every few weeks.  When our older son graduated from the university, the economy in our state was very slow.  He could not find a job in the field he majored in.  Knowing the financial situation we were in, he went to work in a store right after he came home.  When the store had an opening for a night shift full-time job, he asked the manager for the position.  As his mother, I did not want him to stay up all night working instead of sleeping, but he bravely took up the challenge in life.  He helped paying the bills as he did since high school.  For months, I drove him back and forth from work.  It was hectic because I had to take care of the restaurant business.  In time, our son saved some money as a down payment for a used car.  In Nov. 2003, he finally got a better job.  It was in a city far from where we lived.  Therefore, he had to rent an apartment near where he worked.  (Re Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers ...  Our younger son also got a good job a month later.)

In 2004, we sold the restaurant business.  After paying back the money that we had borrowed from our relatives, we had only a little bit of money left.  In other words, we lost almost all the money we had saved before we opened the restaurant, but it was a big relief for me because we did not owe anybody money anymore.  For weeks and months, I woke up smiling.  I was grateful that we survived!  The touches of the Divine had transformed me.  My husband, on the other hand, could not feel how I felt.  He was depressed during the restaurant years, and continued to be for years afterward.

I thought I would never worked in a restaurant again.  However, my husband's friend asked me to help him just a few hours during the weekends answering the phone and taking care of the cash register.  (Re There is extra money in the drawer of the cash register )

One day, my husband could not start the car.  (After the accident as mentioned in What do we do when we have dreams of fear, the car broke down from time to time.)  I looked at our old, damaged car.  Suddenly, I announced, "It is time to buy another car!"  My husband was surprised to hear that.  He said he had not found a job, and we did not have enough money to buy a car.  I was adamant about buying a car.  In the city we lived, we did not have buses or subway.  I said, "Without a reliable car, you cannot go to work even if you find a job.  We do not have the money to buy a new car, but we can put a down payment for a certified used car."  Coincidentally, our older son was home for he had the day off.  He said he would co-sign the contract if the car dealer asked him to.  He drove us to look for a car.  We found a good used car, and the monthly payment was affordable.  When our younger son came home from work, he could not believe we had bought a car.  He thought we were joking for we had not talked about buying a car.  It was truly incredible that we found a good car in one day!  When we helped our sons to look for their first cars, it took several days.

Oh, only later did I realize the importance of my decision to buy a car on that day!

About a month later, our older son was in an accident.  A young man suddenly drove a car out of a side street at high speed hitting our son's car.  Luckily, our son was not hurt, but his car was totaled.  He had not included car rental in his auto insurance.  I told the boss at the restaurant that I had to take some days off.  My husband and I drove to our son's apartment.  On our way, I realized how great the Divine was that we were guided to buy a reliable car before this happened.  We stayed in our son's apartment, and let him use our car to go to work.

  
After our son came home from work, we went to different car dealerships to look for a car.  Our son wanted the same model.  The prices of used cars had gone up quite a bit.  After a few days, our son still could not find a car.  I prayed to the angels and guides for help. 

One day, I got a pamphlet in a store on cars for sale.  Looking through the ads, I found a very good deal.  It was the model that my son liked and it had low mileage.  I told my son the good news.  He said he had already found one online.  He had called that dealership and made an appointment with a salesperson.  It was a 2001 that had about 37,800 miles.  I said the one I found was a 2003, had only 12,000 miles, and the price was cheaper than the one he found.  My son said he did not want to waste anymore time looking for a car.  He would buy the one he found.  Knowing my son (i.e. his personality), I knew he would not listen.  I let it go.

We drove to that dealership.  The salesperson in the office greeted our son by his name, but did not greet us as if we weren't there.  He said he did not know where was the car that our son had called about.  Our son asked if there were other cars of the same model.  The salesperson said, "Let's go outside and look around."  He guided our son to walk to the farthest end of the used-car lot.  My husband and I stayed in the office.

The office was on a raised platform in a corner of the used-car lot.  Windows on one side faced the used-car lot; while windows on the salesperson's side were not.  At one point, I stood up and looked outside from the salesperson's side.  Right below the window were three cars of the model that our son was looking for.  One of them was with the price tag that my son had told me.  There was no "sold" sticker on the car which meant it was still available.  The cars were hidden from view.  I realized the salesperson had intentionally led my son to walk far away from the office.  My son had called ahead of time.  The salesperson hid the car for he did not want to sell it to my son.  I did not tell my husband.  I asked him to leave the office with me.  We waited outside for our son and the salesperson to return.  After a while, they came back and walked to where we were.  The salesperson said he was sorry he could not find the car.  He asked if our son was interested in buying other makes and models.  Our son said 'no'.  I stared at the salesperson.  He looked away.  I said to my son, "Let's go." 

In the car, I did not say anything about the salesperson or the cars that were hidden from view.  My son expressed his disappointment that 'they' could not find the car in the car lot.  I asked if he would go to see the car that I talked about.  He said 'yes'.  At the other dealership, the salesperson was courteous.  We test drove the car.  It was a good car.  There was a minor problem, and the dealer promised to fix it.  My husband wanted me to get involved with the negotiation of buying the car.  I did not.  I told him, "Let our son handle all the negotiation.  He is a grown up."  I knew my son.  He liked to handle things by himself.

My husband and I walked outside to wait in the vast used car parking lot.  Suddenly, we heard loud sounds made by birds.  High up in the sky and right above us were six or seven big white birds.  The sounds they made were so loud that got both of our attention.  They remained above us continuing to make a lot of sounds.  I knew then the angels had helped in our son's search for a good car.  I looked at them and thanked them with all my heart.  The white birds stayed above us for a while before disappearing into the boundless sky.  It was not uncommon to see birds in car lots, but I did not see any that day except those above us.  My husband was amazed at this special appearance of the birds too.

Our son walked out of the office.  He looked confident and happy.  He said the car was a much better deal than the one he had intended to buy.  I smiled and said, "Sometimes things do not happen as we have planned, but all is well.  A delay may not be a delay for better things or solutions may lie ahead."

At the previous car dealership, I did not tell my son about the cars below the windows.  I did not want him to buy a car from someone who did not want his business.  My son had made the appointment with his first and last name.  He spoke English as other Americans because he was born here.  However, the racist salesperson probably understood our son was a Chinese from his last name.  There were always people that were racist or narrow-minded.  Sometimes I spoke up, and at other times I did not.  It depended on the situation.  My son was already under some stress because of the accident and the search for a car.  I did not talk to him about the salesperson for I did not want to add to his stress.  I was very peaceful that day.  As I remained in peace, my loved ones were in peace too.

If you are in the process of buying a car for your son / daughter, you may pray for help too.  The angels and guides are always glad to help.  In my case, other than numbers, birds are often the messengers, the confirmation, and the signs from the Loving Divine.

Love and blessings,
Q of D  

  

On my way to a young woman's house, a story came to me

Greetings!

On my way to a young woman's house, the story of a woman whose mother-in-law was extremely nagging and negative suddenly came to my mind.  In the story, the woman found out Sometimes life may not be how it appears to be when she went through a regression session.

From my experiences in recent years, I had found what came to me out of nowhere* could be something relevant / beneficial to the person I was with or I was going to meet.  (*i.e. I wasn't thinking about it at all.)  On a few occasions, people broke down hearing what I said.  Oftentimes, what I related was but part of a very ordinary conversation.  It was only days / weeks later that people told me the story or words had helped them a lot in looking at their relationships or situations.  I eventually understood I was a tool in their healing process.  In my own life, some people were tools in my divine plan to help me too.

I arrived at the young woman's house.  We sat and talked while watching over her adorable children.   With small children, she needed a little bit of help around the house before her husband came home from work.  I agreed to help temporarily until she hired someone who could come regularly.  I knew very little about her because we never talked about personal matters.

For a while, I pondered how to relate the story.  I did not want to ask her personal questions.  I decided to simply tell her the story.  I said, "You tell me you are not into any religion.  To me, you seem to have an open mind.  May I tell you a story?  It is a true story."  After I finished, she said, "In the story, the woman was able to learn about the truth (the planning before they came into this lifetime), and could therefore look at her mean mother-in-law differently.  However, in real life, it will be very hard to deal with such a mother-in-law."  She thought for a while.  She opened up and talked about the pain and hurt in her own relationship with her mother-in-law.  Her situations with her mother-in-law was indeed challenging.  Other than feeling hurt, she had not reacted with a vengeful attitude.  She felt sad the older woman had estranged from her husband and had as yet seen their children.  I listened with compassion.  I did not render any advice except some words of encouragement.

In To forgive is first and most of all for the good of ourselves, a friend said her mother never showed her love while she was growing up.  Her mother did not know how to love because her own mother (i.e. the friend's grandmother) only loved her brother.  A relative always recalled the hurt she felt as a little girl when her father disciplined her in front of other relatives.  She said her father was very wrong to do that.  However, as a mother, she often scolded her daughter in front of others.  In the older days, mothers-in-laws were the authoritative figures in the family.  Some did not treat their daughters-in-laws with the same love as they loved their own daughters.  It was possible the young woman's mother-in-law was very unhappy during a certain period of her life.  Many of us lived through our lives feeling the impact of our painful experiences.  We felt sad, hurt, or angry.  We never examined the causes of our emotions and let them go.  Some of us eventually expressed how we felt outwards hurting others, and did not realize we had repeated the cycle.

In the first few months after I joined the Thursday circle in 2005, I seldom spoke up because my English was not good.  Sometimes words came to me.  I thought what came to me was unimportant.  I refused to speak up.  Many times I ended up rushing to the bathroom coughing badly.

I am more at ease in relating what comes to me now.  I hold no expectations.  If people do not say anything after I speak up, it is totally fine to me.  For now, I will keep the young woman's family in my prayer.

The weather has been very nice.  I take a walk every morning.  How is your summer so far?  Great, I hope.

Love,
Q of D

Cecil the Lion and 2 Baby Pigeons huddled under the mailbox

Greetings!

The brutal and senseless killing of Cecil the lion has evoked uproar in some places of the world.  The hunter is a dentist.  On the TV, I see people protest in front of his dental office.  A few people hold signs with extreme hateful words such as 'Rot in Hell' to express their anger towards the killing of Cecil.  The dentist has since closed his office, and goes into hiding with his family after receiving many death threats.  He is facing the consequence of his merciless actions towards the animals.  Spiritually speaking, he is going through a huge life lesson at this time.  It is not just a lesson for him, but a lesson for many since some of us react strongly to what happens.  In view of this, I would like to share with you a personal experience.

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During the restaurant years, we realized a few birds had taken up residence on our neon sign as we began to see bird droppings on the sidewalk regularly.  There was not a lot of bird poop.  The bird droppings were scattered near the outer edge of the sidewalk under the neon sign.  They were not anywhere near the entrance of the restaurant.  Nonetheless, it was an unsightly scene for some that noticed it.  We often used water to wash the bird poop away.  Still, with the birds living on the sign, we could not keep the sidewalk clean all the time.

My husband was already depressed because of the slow business.  He saw the bird poop as part of the problem.  One night after we closed up, he swung a thin strip of flexible plastic at the neon sign without telling me about it ahead of time.  I realized he was trying to scare the birds so that they would reside somewhere else.  We saw a couple of birds flew away.  For a few days, the sidewalk was free of bird droppings, and my husband was elated.

However, it did not last.  The birds returned.  I could see the anger on my husband's face as he looked at the bird droppings.  One night after closing up, my husband went outside with a ladder and a stick.  I realized what he was going to do.  I asked him not to do that because the stick might hurt the birds, and it might damage the neon sign too.  He did not listen.  We had turned off the sign, and most stores in the strip mall had closed.  It was quite dark outside.   As my husband was climbing up the ladder, I was relieved to see two birds flew away.  The ladder was not high enough.  My husband had to raise the stick in order to sweep the spaces between the letters on the neon sign.  Some small sticks, leaves, and dirt fell onto the ground.  He swept the sidewalk before we went home.

When we arrived at the restaurant the next morning, something caught my attention right away.  In the corner of a wall and the window wall outside of the restaurant, there were two baby pigeons huddled under the mailbox!  They were shivering in the cold morning air.  I realized my husband must have destroyed their nest the night before.  By instinct, these baby birds had probably moved behind the letters of the neon sign.  With no nest, they eventually fell onto the ground since they did not know how to fly.

I went inside the restaurant to get a paper bag.  Carefully, I scooped them into the bag.  I was very sorry to see a small bloody wound on the head of one of the birds. The stick must have touched its head.  I asked the angels to heal the bird.  I put some water and rice inside the bag.  I left them inside the bag to keep them warm.  I knew they needed their parents, and their parents were probably anxiously looking for them.  I wanted to keep them alive.  I prayed for guidance.

There was a pile of leaves and sticks near the restaurant.  When I felt it was warm enough, I put the birds on the leaves hoping the mom and dad pigeons would come and guide them away.  I did not see any pigeon around the strip mall that day.  There were only those small  birds that I saw all the time.  Later, thinking the bright sun might be too much for baby birds, I put them inside the bushes behind the gas station that was in front of our restaurant.  I prayed for the angels to watch over them and bring their parents to them.  I put water and rice inside the bushes.  I checked on them every few hours.  The baby birds clung to each other.  They never ate or drank.

The next morning, I was very relieved that the baby birds were still alive.  I saw a few pigeons in the sky.  I was disappointed that none of them landed on the ground next to the bushes.  Later that day, I was glad too see the baby birds began to wander inside the bushes.  For the next couple of days, I checked on them regularly.  They never wandered outside of the bushes.  I gave them water and rice everyday, but it seemed they never touched them.  I continued to pray for the reunion of this family.

One day, two pigeons were flying above me when I checked on the birds.  After I came back to the restaurant, they landed on the ground by the bushes.  The baby birds did not come out.  Later, I was delighted to see four pigeons, two big and two small, were walking near the bushes.   When the adult pigeons flew away, I went to look at the two small birds that were still on the ground.  One of them had a scar on its head.  The wound had healed.  I was very grateful for the love of God.

The parent birds came to see the baby birds quite often.  The baby pigeons stayed around that area.  They still went into the bushes from time to time.  Sometimes I put rice on the ground for their whole family.  (I had not written down an account of what happened to the pigeons.  When I wrote to here, I went online to see how long it took for the baby pigeons to learn how to fly.  I read an interesting story with pictures showing how the pigeons laid eggs and raised their babies.  When the baby birds were old enough, it was the father who would teach them how to fly.)  I had to attend to the restaurant business.  Therefore, I never saw the father pigeon taught the baby pigeons to fly.  One day, I saw them walking and pecking on the rice.  Then, all of a sudden, they flew away.  I stood there in awe since I did not know the baby birds could fly.  At that very moment, a thought came to me, "Through the Grace of Love, a karmic debt has been erased."  Immediately, I knew there was truth in what came to me, and I was very grateful.

When I saw the baby birds shivering under the mailbox, there was only one thing in my mind.  It was to take care of them and keep them alive so that they would reunite with their parents.  For days, I prayed for help.  I never thought about karma while watching over them.  It was only after the thought came to me that I looked back at the whole episode.

When the baby birds fell off the neon sign, they could have fallen on the road where cars drove through or on the edge of the sidewalk.  They must be very scared.  I wondered how they ended up huddling in the corner of the walls that protected them from the cold night air.  Did they walk all the way to the corner by themselves?  Did someone put them there?  I believed the loving angels and guides had played a part in protecting them.

According to the law of karma, there was an effect to every action we took.  My husband might think he had the right to do what he did because he was protecting his place.  However, good solution never came out of anger.  The pigeons took up residence in the neon sign because they thought it was a good place to build a nest and raise a family.  If we sought earnestly, we might find a better solution than scaring them, hurting them, and destroying their nest.  In the law of karma, we had indeed done harm to the pigeons and incurred a karmic debt.  It was through the Grace of Love that the baby birds reunited with their parents, and the karmic debt was erased.

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There is an old Chinese saying "To harm others is to harm ourselves; to benefit others is to benefit ourselves."  This saying is in keeping with the law of cause and effect as well as the truth of oneness.  I am familiar with Chinese words of wisdom because I am a Chinese.  In truth, many quotes of wisdom are universal.  People of different races or cultures have their own quotes of wisdom.  The language / wording may be different, but the core meanings (i.e. the wisdom) are pretty much the same.

I share with you the above experience to show that it is easy for us to think we have the right to do what is good for us without thinking about the harm we may bring to the others.  As human beings, sometimes we put ourselves above everything else.  We do what we want to do with no regard / respect to the good / right of other living things.  In the dentist case, he has been hunting and killing animals for pleasure for years.  He kills Cecil so that he can keep Cecil's head as a trophy.  It was cruel and senseless.  If we change position with the animals, can we imagine, in this modern age, that others kill us so that they can make us their trophies?

Zimbabwe has lifted its hunting ban ten days after the death of the Cecil the lion.  This is a materialistic world.  Money that comes from tourism / the sport of hunting may have played a role in its government's decision.  When we stand up for a good cause, sometimes we may be frustrated that the world never seems to change.  However, when we stand up for a good cause, we have to have faith in what we do.  Let the change begin with us.  For instance, if we are against racism, we begin by treating everybody with love and respect.  If we are against cruelty towards animals, we can donate money to organizations that protect them.  We can teach our children loving kindness towards nature and other living things.

Before I continue, I would like to relate a story that I read in a book written by a known medium.  In a big gathering facilitated by the medium, the spirits of three policemen came through to talk to their families.  They died in a car accident.  They told their families not to blame the couple who was in the other car.  They told them it was an accident, and the couple was not at fault.  They joyfully told their families that they had planned to go to the other side that way.  They had done great wrong to this couple in another lifetime.  In that lifetime, they were soldiers fighting in a foreign country.  One day, they saw a young couple in a car.  These soldiers were high on drug.  They taunted the couple and set their car on fire.  They watched them burnt to death.  The spirits were happy that the karma between them and the couple was now neutralized.  God or the Divine did not punish us.  It was our spirits within that knew of no death sought to right the wrong we made (a matter of speech).

In the case of the killing of Cecil, we should be mindful of our reaction.  To stand up for what is right in our hearts does not mean we have to look at the dentist with hatred or wishing harm on him.  Two wrongs don't make a right.  The Ascended Ones have taught us the importance of compassion and forgiveness.  The dentist is going through an intensified life lesson.  He and his family now live in fear that some people may do them harm.  He may have incurred a big karmic debit for his merciless killing of animals.  It is with hope that he understands how cruel his actions were, repents for what he has done, and tries to make up for his wrong actions the best he can for the rest of his life.  It is never too late to change and center in love in what we do.

I would like to sign off with the simple guidance as how to live our life by the Light Being in my post Before 11/11/11 and After 11/11/11

• Do no harm to yourself and others, 
• apply honesty and integrity in all that you do, 
• and then find your personal joy while expressing gratitude

Many blessings,
Q of D