Let Us Be Grateful for Our Precious Life

"Tell me, what do you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" -Mary Oliver 

 

Life is so very precious! I just spent time away in California to celebrate my grandson Theo's 1^stbirthday. How easy it is to be with him as I pause and become more present. He brings me into my heart without effort. I sit watching him. His big blue eyes and infectious laugh pulls me deeply inside where I let go of everything I think I need to do and just settle into the moment. Here in the living room I feel happy as a wave of peace enters me. I watch Theo try to walk, stumble, fall, cry, laugh and get up again and again.

 

As I ask myself how I choose to live my life right now, I breathe in and sit quietly. I meditate on the love, compassion and truth that is deeply inside of me now. With every heartbreak and unexpected experience that lifts my heart into joy, I can take a step into living what is next. Here I arrive, humbled to remember that in every moment, even if I stumble or fall, I have a choice to play, to sing, to open my eyes and feel the beauty of life that flows through. In this silence, everything that I need to know is revealed. 

What will I do with this one wild and precious life? 

Today, I settle into my heart and acknowledge how beautiful my family and friends are. Each one of you are like shining jewels in my life who have blessed my heart with kindness and sweet presence. When I stand in the sacred space that surrounds me, each breath and each touch, I will be mindful of all the details of my life and give thanks.

Step by step, moment by moment, breath by breath, 

I sense a quiet that embraces everything. 

I am the center of it all where everything is still.

I cannot find myself in those things of the world.

I pay attention to the language of Spirit.

I listen to the sweet sound of nothing.

This silence waits for me in between the words and ideas of my mind. 

My heart beats in this sacred place within my inner being. 

I can feel the touch of love that enters when I stay with me.

I surrender to this path that shines the light onto everything I do.

 

Namasté,

Frannie

Living Awake, Moment by Moment

"You are the sky. Everything else- it's the weather." - Pema Chodron

 

            Sometimes, in a heartbeat, our lives can turn upside down. Change can enter like a tornado bringing us the struggles and challenges that can humble us and move us to fall on our knees, asking for help.

            I found myself filled with emotion the other night when I woke up and walked into the living room in the darkness of the night. The intense feeling, like a tsunami came pushing through me as I fell on the couch, crying uncontrollable tears. The suffering of our humanity is pushing on my heart as I hold myself in this release. How grateful I am to empty this heart of mine that called me to surrender once again. Letting the tears flow, the crying just knows what to do. Empty of these feelings, I rest in this space where I become full of a peace that is truly beyond my own understanding. My emptiness brings calmness to every part of me. I rest on the couch in the early morning dawn, knowing that the suffering of our world is felt within. I am surrendered. Nothing to control. Why do I ever think that control would ever set me free? My past losses showed me how to be fully alive. I do not want to ever throw away the chances to love now.

            Life itself seems to humble me again and again as it moves me to my inner-life. Without love or compassion or even truth, it does not matter if I have all the needs of my physical life met and comforts of my daily living all in tack. If my love light is dim and I'm waiting for money in the bank to take care of myself, I realize that the generosity of love and compassion is all that is needed to keep me fully alive. And then "I go out and make the donuts." Being a counselor is my career but loving compassion is my purpose. It comes from my own inner focus to hold myself just where I am, flawed and fabulous. In this acceptance of my inner self, I can be conscious as I breathe. The veils seem to lift where I am awake. It is here in God's mind where I am fully free. The attachments to this world will never make me truly happy.

            I remember the feeling I had, lying beside my 4-month-old grandson as he looked right into my eyes. He touched my face and pulled me closer as I kissed his cheek. He begins to laugh the way when you are tickled, and you can't stop it if you tried. It's contagious. I laughed with him and he looked deeply into my eyes with a sparkle that lights up my heart. It's as if I can see the whole world through his gaze. Pure joy filled the moment as his whole-body giggled. Now, just thinking about it, the feeling of happiness softens the sadness, despair or depression that ever was. All the fears and worries wash away. It seems to dissolve any toxic emotion or anxiety and there is a deep connection to real- life right here, right now. No medicine is better than laughing from the belly and little Theo brings me to it so naturally. 

            My friend David Sears let go into the Divine presence, Feb. 8^th, 2019, in the early morning. His focus was on the life that continues beyond the body, the transition into the sweetest embrace of Spirit. In his last days, he welcomed death as he welcomed you into his breath. Even though his body was filled with cancer, he said, "it is all wonderful!" I witnessed him as he let his heart wrap around the mystery as if he was having a love affair with his own transition. His commitment to conscious dying brought me into conscious living.

            I sit at the restaurant with my friend and my dog as I watch a little bird coming up to Mollie as she plays with this new friend. A little bird, so joyously hopping around like hide and seek. I feel inside my heart, it's David, my friend, my teacher of living life in love till his transition. "Be happy, be happy- it's wonderful! I hear it inside my mind. If he could, he would shine his spirit through this world to say hi. He loved my Mollie so much that he went out and got his puppy, Sweet Pea.

            David was living awake moment by moment before he slipped out of his body. He modeled for me that I have the choice to let go each day of the attachments to this world of form. To live in the presence of the Divine is like sinking into the deepest ocean of well- being. Here is where we are called to be.

            Happiness is our birthright. When we are in harmony inside, independent of the chaotic conditions outside, truly our minds have let go of interpreting the experience. We just begin to move into the flow of life as it is. The grieving heart takes a break; we make a choice to take off the heavy garments of sadness and sorrow and look in the eyes of this world like a beautiful spring day calling us forth to play. We let go and surrender to the moment at hand where we can walk into a new state of being and in the meantime just get outside and go for a walk.           

          I am deeply guided as my inward focus brings me into my intuitive nature where I embrace it all. It's more than just understanding it with my head. My heart feels the experience of living fully. I look up at the clear blue sky as a new world inside of me is being created.

 

Be awake as you reach into what is here.

Let go and be love now.

 

Blessings and Love, 

Frannie

Partnering with Spirit

It's been a stormy and rainy day as I drive from the office to have dinner with my boyfriend Robert. There on the grass, parked is a white limousine. Today would have been my wedding anniversary to Steve and there it is, the road sign and symbol of our union. As I listen to my heart speaking to him, the dark heavy clouds are pouring down rain, as a bright sun peaks out of the opening and shines right on my car and the road I am driving on. Then the song that Luke sang at our wedding begins to play on the radio. My body begins to vibrate with truth chills as Steve's presence continues to make itself known. I line up in the moment and then this divine awareness becomes my beloved companion. It's not a phenomena to me. I invite my spirit loved ones to show up in my world at anytime. I feel their messages of love sent to me daily.

(drawing by Frannie Hoffman)

 

I love the quote from Yoko Ono when she was asked how she could bear being without John Lennon given they had spent 90% of their time together, her response was:

"Now we spend 100% of our time together."

 

The death of the body is not the death of love. It doesn't mean we don't grieve and feel the hurt but we can transcend the loss. When our hearts remain open to the flow of truth, the spirit can compensate for material loss. 

 

My connection to spirit's wisdom is natural and intimate. It feels like second nature to me and I believe that all the losses in my life have helped me to feel myself more fully and allow inner guidance or intuition to be my lifeline to freedom. If we can turn our attention inward to our heart instead of letting outside appearances overwhelm us, the Universe will show us what to do and where to go as we trust our own vibration.

 

My mother was a great teacher for me. She didn't listen to the doctor who told her that she couldn't have children. She climbed those steps of St. Joseph's Oratory in Quebec, praying as she knelt on every step, listening to her heart. She saw the crutches and wheel chairs that lined up on her path up the hill. Her pilgrimage was her own. She allowed her deepest desire to speak loudly. She believed she was born to have children. She listened to her inner calling and leaped with faith as she continued to give herself up to God. She knew her calling was to be a mother. Nothing stopped her from this deep spiritual connection to her heart. She had faith and her fears did not stop her.

 

That night my mother conceived triplet girls. My sisters and I were born and 2 years later so was my brother. 

 

My mother was an incredibly gifted and talented woman. She lived with a disease where her mind kept her in fear and so many days she was paralyzed with anxiety. Her suffering was unending and yet the joy of her children was the salve that soothed her brokenness. She was beautiful and cooking was love. She always had soup going on the stove or something mouth watering in the oven. She was a master at painting and creating centerpieces made of driftwood. Did I say how she loved her children? It is worth saying again. Maybe sometimes she loved us more than herself.

 

I wished she could have loved her own life more fully but yet in the end, she continued to be brave. It took great courage to let go of this world. She suffered with Alzheimer's and in her tormented days, she would look around her most favorite home, our cottage up north in Northern Ontario, and stare at all of her belongings surrounding her. The walls were adorned with the many oil paintings that she created through the years . My mother would cry out and plead " I want to go home. Please, you tell me these are my paintings and this is my favorite home, just take me home, nothing here is familiar." As I looked into her eyes she said, " I want to go home! "

 

At the time it was heartbreaking to listen to her pain and longing to remember her home. Now I believe that she was longing for her spiritual home. This place of comfort that no longer was inside her reality anymore. She was longing for that which seemed forgotten. 

 

Home for her was creating in the kitchen beautiful recipe's that made your mouth water just thinking about it. She showed her love through her cooking and sharing food. Her mother was the same. Food was love and that was something that I was always inspired by. I too love to cook and share love in this way. It is that feeling inside that makes you feel at home and having a pot of soup on the stove is something that just feels good. I love the feeling of cutting up veggies and throwing it all in a pot as I create this goodness that gives me life. Creating salads and dishes of all kinds is just a little piece of heaven for me. It doesn't matter if I didn't have enough money to shop for a big grocery, I would use what I had to create something that could feed others. It was a way to share love. 

 

Our mothers were our first home inside their womb. They are the music on the radio, the sun peaking through the rain clouds. They whisper sweet comfort during these life long journeys.

 

Today let us celebrate our mothers and mother figures in our life. Maybe they didn't always give us what we needed. These great woman helped to mould us and to be all that we are today. 

 

May we forgive our own fears when we forget how natural it is to breath and become more. We are here to bring life into us and let our bodies be the instrument to co-create a beautiful life. From the inside to the outside, let us leap into the moment with great abandon and share all that we receive.

 

Bowing to our mothers for we can receive life because this is our birthright! 

How blessed I am to be a mother.

 

Namaste,

Frannie

Kisses From Heaven

Hello my Beloveds!

For the last 18 months I have been on a sabbatical. This time has been an opportunity for me to turn my vulnerable heart toward each precious moment. It has been a transformational time, as grief has melted away more of my falseness and softened the limitations that held me a prisoner of fear.  Lau Tzu says it best, “when I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”  

When my husband Steve transitioned, I kept believing that spirit would guide me to a different life. Although I wanted to run away and start all over, I was forced to stay right here in all of the glory and pain of my vulnerable and broken heart. My home on Anna Maria Island was a safe haven as I continued writing and spending time in silence and inner contemplation. Being with myself, family, friends and my puppy Mollie brought me to a deeper sense of intimacy. I realized that my purpose had not changed at all, it was me that was different.

I am so grateful to all of you for loving me and choosing to walk upon this earth with me. It takes courage to live awake and we are all doing this dance together. In more ways than you will ever know, your hearts touched mine and helped to lift me up. With this New Year we find ourselves moving back into the river of life. New beginnings for us all as we merge with the flow that brings us into our own beautiful authentic expression of self with compassion and openness.

Blessed Be

Frannie

Kisses from Heaven

I bike down to the beach, excited to finally return to this place where the sea meets the sand and sky. My heart expands as I park my bike between two trees. I am pulled by a force that feels like a magnet. I am being guided. That’s what it is like to surrender completely to this presence that knows what you need. Pulled into the stream of consciousness where all that exists is filling me up and moving me into the direction where the veil lifts. Here I fall into the towel, lay upon the white powdery sand and merge deeply inside myself. I let out a sigh of relief. I am here fully and let go of all that burdens me. I feel totally alone, even though the beach is full of people basking in this magnificent day.

I breathe into my body, and melt into the warm of the sun shining on me. I fall deeply into sleep and awaken completely rested, my mind quiet… I hear Steve’s voice in my inner ear, “Hello baby-doll, it’s good to have you here.” I feel held in the womb of spirit and happy to feel the connection.

It is not uncommon to be in this place with Steve. Yet so often I wander off into the valley of sorrow or disappear into the busy mind of unwanted chatter. Sometimes I stay away, not because I consciously choose to, but I am pulled into the direction of doing and that’s okay. It’s part of living in this human world until we find balance. The balance is within and it is always my choice to find that center again or sometimes I am led by my heart like I was today.

I open my eyes and look at the brilliant blue sky. Contrails from planes passing overhead have formed a giant X. Most people just see a design made by an aircraft, but for me, they are kisses from Steve. He always signed his cards to me with big fat Xs. Now, using the sky as his canvas, he is reaching from wherever he is to kiss me with his presence. I feel the warmth of this energy holding me and filling me up with incredible peace. My connection to this feeling lifts the veil that shows me that Steve is right here waiting for me to open to the only way he can connect with me…through this magnificent world.

The veil between the worlds is thinner now and I can talk to my spirit loved ones anytime. As I let go of my own plan and allow myself to be pulled into the stream of consciousness, this union happens where Heaven awaits me. I am welcomed by this breathtaking view of the world that is now illuminated by the light that is within everything and I see the truth. I receive myself as I am joined by spirit. Kissed by the presence where I merge into oneness with all of creation.

How easy it all seems to be when I let go of doing it myself and surrender to the moment. Here the stream pulls me into the flow of life that gives and gives and gives. Into myself I am born again and alive like never before. Merged like never before because more of the falseness has fallen away and I am embraced by all of me. I have allowed myself to be loved, loving all that has come before this moment. The pain and the hurts and fears have all been embraced as I fall more deeply into the moment of what is. The choice is mine to make as I receive the inner guidance that speaks loud and clear, “Welcome Baby doll, I am here wherever you are.”

As I walked away from the beach, I took a picture of the huge X in the sky. I realized as I looked around that now I am never alone.

Later that afternoon I am with my son Luke and we get into a heated conversation. How easy it is to fall into the trap of defensiveness and trying to be right. We both are charged with unwanted energy but talk it out and return to what is true. I own the fact that I am not perfect, and in my self-acceptance I am able to listen to myself and still hear my son. Together we return to the warmth of our truth.

Maybe it didn’t feel as easy as it was earlier when I merged into the powdery warm sand but it was just as real and just as vital to allow that which will pull us into the truth. Here we are kissed by a presence that can free us and open us to what is important. Then the veil is lifted and we can see in every face, the face of God. It is the face of God looking back at me through the eyes of my son. And it is his perfection I see shining through all the imperfections of our humanity.  

Love wins again. As the sun sets into the trees and the moon rises up in all her glory, I am reminded once again that all can be shown to me in the dark where nothing keeps me separate from my connection to this presence that creates worlds. Another day where the veil is so thin and the Mystery reaches into me and wakes me up to welcome all that is new. We can be lead with our hearts without trying to figure it out in our heads, and then bowing down to creation, it begins within.

The True Spirit of Christmas: The Gift That Costs Nothing

Today I gently allow spirit to awaken me as I open my eyes to daylight. Everything around me seems crazy and all that I can think of is the worst. The season of holiday cheer is close and yet the moment here is all consuming as I relapse into fear. All I can do is breathe and let go as the Holy Spirit fills me up. It is all here, held in the presence. I turn more deeply inward and upward I gaze into the mind that holds no judgment. It is all sacred and holy as I put everything on the altar upon my heart and pray. All the suffering that has occurred because I forgot that everything is part of this experience called life and the presence can hold it all. There is nowhere to go but inside to this stillness where all is and allow the healing to begin. Why do we forget that God is right here waiting for us to return and feel the love that is unconditional?

Peace begins to rise up through the cracks where I sit and witness it all. I am letting go again and again until the fullness of being here is rooted and grounded in my being. I hear the sounds of people singing Christmas carols outside my window. I let the music touch me as I remember being a child, sitting in wonder as I looked around the living room watching my mother decorate our tree as she put the tinsel strand by strand on every branch. It was a sight to see when she was finished. The lights were shimmering and every ornament was perfectly hung. She was an artist and as she focused on the task at hand, our home was filled once again with the spirit of Christmas. My mother gave to us in the spirit of self- expression. In that moment, it was the peace that I felt as my mother let go of all the challenges and anguish that was taking her away from her heart.

Our truest self is completely free and not crippled by our past deeds or even concerned with building itself up through wealth or fame. I feel we have everything in our own power to get in touch with our magnificent self and bring it to light. This is the being that lives and expresses through us right now and this is who God intends us to be. Through love and compassion we do get closer to the genuine star that shines within.

This is the true meaning of Christmas as peace abides within the moment where only love can be shared. In God all things are possible as you let go of the idea that you are separate from your creator.

This is our song to sing as we reach inside and listen to the music of the angels. They rejoice in our freedom to be fully here without the burden of the ego mind that wants to control and keep us in the thoughts of limitation and lack. Oh how many times I have journeyed away from the truth that I am worthy of this beautiful place within where love abides. How difficult my life is when I think I can control what is around me? How sweet it is to return to the comfort of my own open heart where each of us are joined with the same love that created us.

Peace only comes when we align ourselves with our relationship with God, the Universe, Spirit, or Higher Power. This sacred and holy place is where we dwell in Oneness as we decorate our Christmas trees and light up our homes with the ornaments. We bring ourselves inward and breathe into our hearts as we remember what is important. We free ourselves by releasing the past that imprisons us and our brothers and sisters. We let go of the thoughts that keep us guilty or others in guilt. We begin again in joy and celebration as we create a new year that awakens us all into the spirit of love where we see all of our relations as holy. Here in our hearts we are free to give the greatest gift of acceptance, which is unconditional love and share the food that has fed us.

Love is the light that shines through your heart. You become the star that shines into the darkness as you illuminate from the inside and share this love with all that are present. You unwrap the moment as presence fills you up and love is given freely through your receiving. This is the gift that costs nothing. Our lives are gifts from God and what we do with it is up to us.

Today is the day to remember how precious this life is and all who come to share with us during this holiday season.

At this time of celebration throughout our world, we join our hearts with one another as devoted celebrants of diverse ceremonies and celebrations.

Merry Christmas and Blessed and Happy Holidays to All!

All my love,

Frannie

True Love : A Tribute to Marylou Baer

Everyone has left the cottage. I am here, alone for the first time since the passing of both my mother and father. I am sitting in their bedroom that is the second story of the house. I have my chair right up against the huge window that overlooks the lake and the birch trees. As I listen to the sound of the wind caressing the leaves and making conversation with all of my senses, I hear the silence of this sacred place pull me deep within to the core of my being where Spirit waits for my joining. Memories seem to pass through like clips from a movie. Feelings move through as well as I let go of participating with the mind. I just want to be quiet.

I sit comfortably deep inside the seat of consciousness where I am aware of Self as everything around me is just being. My heart opens wide to receive the energy that flows through this moment.

My first mother-in-law is dying right now as I type these words. Even though her son Kim and I did not stay married, Marylou has been a constant beacon of light in my life since the day I met her, 38 years ago. She had courage to keep living her life fully even after her diagnosis with cancer years ago. Her love of God and Jesus has inspired me in countless ways as her undying faith kept her going daily. Her selfless love was given to all of us and unconditionally you felt God's light shining on you through her eyes, her touch and her words. I am grateful to have her as a mom, a friend and companion through my life.

I am thousands of miles from her beside yet as I sit in prayer this day, I empty myself to be in communion with the Divine as I feel myself being lifted upwards. There is space between me and the thoughts and emotions inside. How easy it would be to cry right now and feel the sadness of death that is around my loved ones. I fall inside to join with my spiritual being. This pure energy envelops me and takes me to a sweet spot deep within where I am open to the beauty and appreciation that Spirit feels. I feel a love gushing inside of me and filling me up. I share this with her. This state of being is where I want to hang out and experience this doorway to God where a tremendous feeling of love, light and Spirit awakens inside. I feel lifted into the Oneness of God. Here there is no separation and it does not matter what religion we are, we are one with all creation. I seem to merge with all the trees, plants, animals, water, earth and rocks that surround this cottage. I feel I am giving through my heart the love that God is always. As I honor all life that is of this world, I get a glimpse of God and I walk closer to Him.

That's what happens when you meditate and pray. You begin to notice Spirit and allow the qualities of the Divine to expand within you. It is all beautiful. This is true love. That's how a mother loves her child. This is how I love my children and my mother loved her children. This selfless love is like God's love for all humanity and all creation.

I speak to Marylou almost every day, even though it might just be for a moment as she is very weak. She has moved into the Hospice House which she had helped build in her home town of Burlington, North Carolina. We would cry on the phone together as she ends the call the way she always has over the last 35 years, "be careful, I love you". The next day when mom was not speaking and only sleeping now, my sister-in law, Karen told me that Kim had walked from the outside into their mom's room and a butterfly was on his shoulder. It stayed in her room while she lay quiet between the worlds. Marylou loved butterflies and felt that she would make her spirit known to us all through the butterfly.

I got off the phone and knew within my heart that Marylou would communicate to me in some way. My niece was visiting and I was sharing the story as we were in the dining room setting the table for dinner. As I spoke of the butterfly story that Karen had shared, the music began to play from the frame on the bookshelf that had the picture of my girlfriend Mary who passed away over 6 yrs. ago. Her picture was surrounded by butterflies. Lindsay and I felt energy move through our body. Truth chills I like to call it. I immediately looked at the clock and it was 5:45 p.m. Maybe Marylou had just passed, we thought in that moment. Later that night I got a call from Karen saying that they didn't feel that mom would make it through the night. She died that morning at 5:45 a.m.

How blessed I am to call Marylou, mom. She has loved her children and has given to her children and the people in her life like God's nature. I bow to this undying love that moved her into the ocean of Divine Oneness where we are always together. I am so grateful to the many gifts that death teaches. How precious life is as we live in this love of Spirit.

Come here my precious one, where death pushed you to the edge

Let go of the veil of fear where we begin again so aware and grateful

The sun paints the earth with the light of a new day as the little bird sings

This is another moment to awaken to the miracle of life that just happens

Drink in the nectar of this presence

Be filled with the Source that is unlimited

Now sit for a while within the heart of consciousness

Awaken to the light that illuminates and lifts you upward

Into the heavens where you listen deeply to the silence

We meet here as the Beloved where nothing is hidden

There is nothing separating the inside from the outside

All is participating with creation as you are touched by God's power

The hand that holds us all in this Holy and sacred moment beyond time

Who are you?

Oh, but a part of all that is

When the broken pieces of life open up to reveal all that exists within

As peace renews

Now simply, in your thoughts and actions

Return to the Source of Being.

Marylou Baer

May 11, 1930 - September 14, 2012

Be the Change

I’m standing at my kitchen counter waiting for my test results. It’s part of my routine physical. I know in every fiber of my being that I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been. So why do I feel so anxious?

Finally the phone rings and the results confirm what I already know—everything is normal.

A dam inside me breaks as my joy and relief spill out through my happy tears.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been told my liver was not normal. And year after year after year, the test results have supported that claim. I have dedicated much of my life to serving humanity by allowing myself, to the best of my ability, to be a vessel so that God can work with me and through me. A big part of my commitment involves lifestyle choices that support the healthy growth and healing of my mind, body, and spirit. At times it is hard to stay on the path of what we want, especially when others around us have lost their own battles.

Guilt sometimes swallows me up, as I wonder why I should believe I could get well when loved ones have remained sick or even died.

We have the ability to change ourselves, and only we can do it. If you change how you think then you will change how you feel, and then choose a more helpful response. Meditation helps us to be the change we wish to see in the world.

Sometimes when I wake up in the morning, I reach with my mind and heart as I pray: Dear God, let me be an instrument of your peace. Help me to share your divine loving presence as I trust that I can stay open to whatever I meet today.

I breathe into my body and receive myself. Then I quietly rise up out of bed in the darkness of the bedroom and fumble my way to the living room. Putting on my robe, I ease into my favorite chair. No one can calm me and bring me peace except God. I know that being calm and quiet not only serves me, but I am sure God can make better use of me, as well.

I settle into my body and feel whatever is lurking in the deepest parts of my being. I know answers to any of my problems come when I am willing to face my uncomfortable feelings and difficult thoughts. When I stay with these shameful hurts and pains within, something inside softens. The fear of staying here loosens its hold and breathing begins to quiet the mind allowing the dense thought-forms to fall away. I know that the only way out of my self-imposed pain is to go inward to hold it. When I listen with the ear of my heart, the still small voices of inner wisdom reveals what is nourishing.

As I pray and contemplate this connection inside, I find the strength that helps me handle the darkness of the inner and outer world. I also feel that meditation can help us handle all of the powerful light that is coming in at this time.

As we are called to live bigger and brighter, sometimes our resistance gets bigger, as well.

I witness how afraid we are to live our truest potential. We are afraid to fully let our light shine. Our addictions keep us trapped and muted. Can we be love with conviction? Can we see the miracle we are just by choosing to be peace? Can we open our hearts and share this food that light offers to the hungry? I think we all want that peace but first we must forgive the past by recognizing unhealthy emotional patterns. Can we let go of those moments that brought us to our knees when we uncovered the lie of unworthiness? Forgiving is part of the process as we begin to view the world through the lenses of new thought.

Living love and being the light for another is truly a gift. Nowhere on this earth have I experienced this gift more profoundly than when I have stood before the one people call John of God. He embodies the words that Mahatma Gandhi speaks of:

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”

I have been to Brazil to visit John of God two times before. Yet this trip brought me to understand more deeply how living to serve this food called love is our greatest gift. When I speak of love here, I mean divine love, God’s love. I believe that life brings us to more of it if we can be in the direct experience of any given moment. In the present moment, if we accept who we are, with all our fears and all our shame and guilt, then we will see that our feelings do not have to separate us. We can join together in the one mind.

My father died the day after my arrival in Abadiania, Brazil. It pushed me deeply into grief as I longed to touch my father again. I wanted to feel his spirit with me. I prayed and meditated. I walked in silence as my intention to be more present revealed many thoughts and feelings. I felt, I cried, I allowed myself to just be with me. I was so willing to heal my inner world and my body.

As I look around the hall where many wait to see Joao De Deus (John of God), I am humbled by these brave souls in wheel chairs, on crutches, and being carried. The sick and the dying, the searchers for truth all gather in this sacred holy place called Casa de Dom Inacio de Loyola. Everyone wears white; we are all the same here. We take our turn to stand in the presence of a man who has committed his life to the healing of the collective society. As a medium for God, he becomes a hollow reed. Medium Joao, as he likes to be called, radiates unconditional love that heals those who need healing. In the presence of this love, fear dissolves.

If enough of us stand in the light of true love, not simplistic love, but strong divine love, then there is peace and this creates a force field of healing light.

My group is called and slowly I walk in the line that brings us into the Entities Current room where John is. I feel held in the arms of the angels as I observe so many people sitting in pews meditating and radiating their love and support. The walls are crowded from floor to ceiling with holy pictures of Saints and music fills the air. It feels like a sacred pilgrimage to meet God through the eyes of Joao De Deus. For 48 years he has participated in the healing of over 8 million people.

When we give ourselves this deeper connection we can open up to the entire world. We can give and live for others from this full cup. I saw it when I stood in front of John. The light of God was spilling out of him like an endlessly flowing river. He was connected inward and sharing from this place where God meets us all. His words, so simple and yet profoundly truthful and filled with spirit, touched my heart and I melted into the love of my dad within this timeless sacred moment. I was changed in a holy instant.

No matter who we are, we have things to do to fulfill the calling of our souls. We are called to be authentically ourselves as best as we can be. We are challenged each day to dig deeper into ourselves to find out who we really are and to choose to live truthfully. Each of us, no matter who we are, can align ourselves with a better idea. All of us need more quiet time, not to retreat from the world but to merge with the treasures and richness that is flowing through our very being.

How will we hold the challenges and limitations that are given to us? When the resistance to the moment falls away, we are forever changed. We are the doorway as love enters this world through each of us individually as we join together as one. The joining creates a gateway where light enters to bring many treasures through our gaze, through our eyes, through our touch and through our words. We are the messengers as we let go of the past and allow the present moment to be all that is. When we look into the mirror that this world is, who we are is reflected back and we have another opportunity to share the truth that only the heart can receive.

Follow your dream and fully be yourself as you let what you do fill you with enthusiasm. You are brave the moment you enter inside, letting go of what holds you back from fully being here as yourself. Follow your heart for it is the gateway into the power of love that nurtures this dream as you become an instrument for God. You are the change.

This article by Frannie Hoffman was published in Transformation Magazine's January 2012 issue! http://www.suncoasttransformation.com/online/?p=2008