When you count your blessings... actually count them... you will be astounded by at the miracle of this life. 

Even with sadness. 
Even with fear. 
Even with pain.
Even if you aren't where you want to be. 
Even if you haven't figured it all out yet. 

And so, begin with me... 

1. I am grateful for... 
2. I am thankful for... 
3. I am thankful for... 
4. I am thankful for... 
5. I also thankful for..
6. Oh wait, I almost forgot... 
7. Wow, I need to include...
8. It's really incredible that...
9. Even though it's kind of a pain I'm still glad for...
10. I'm learning so much from...
11. Over the years I've come to be thankful for... 
12. And let's just see how far you can get. 

Long ago, it was common for kids to start school early and get skipped up grades.
 
Nowadays, it’s considered better for kids to start school later, so they have more time to mature. But back then, kids were on the fast track to grow up.

Which is why I found myself at age four staring at the doors marked Boys or Girls, trying to figure out what the beads meant.
 
It was kindergarten, it wasn’t brain surgery: you put the beads around you neck, you go into the bathroom that corresponded to your gender (in those days, there was no question), you do your business and come out.
 
The doors didn’t lock, because we were in kindergarten. The beads were the sign: occupied or vacant.

It all sounds kind of funny and antiquated.

But for me, the worry of not being able to remember how the beads worked, or what if  I flushed them down the toilet, or what if someone forgot about the beads and walked in on me… well, it was too much for my four-year-old self to handle.
 
So all that year I didn’t go to the bathroom at school.
Instead, I walked home at lunchtime and went there.
 
Did I? Did I really do that?
 
Yes, and if you were raised in that era, you did too. You walked home by yourself, and you rode on bikes with no helmets and in station wagons with no seat belts and you played outside with no supervision from morning till dinner.
 
That’s what we all did.
We grew up fast, because that’s how things were then.
 
But nowadays… it can be good to take your time. Waiting in patience and compassion for yourself, until you’re really to do something, can be a very kind way to live.
 
If there is something you’re facing and you’re not quite ready, you don’t have to grit your teeth and force yourself. You can wait, if you want.
 
Sometimes this is a great choice. 

I recently ran across a woman, Christina, who I’d known decades ago, when she was married to Jim.
 
Now, she is married to Chuck.
 
It’s a common story, isn’t it? People get married young, and then by the time they figure out who they really are, they realize that the partnership that worked (or didn’t work) for their younger self, can’t continue as the partnership for the older self.
 
They outgrow the first relationship.
The karma is complete, or can’t be completed.
They can’t grow, if they stay.
Neither can the other person.
 
Lot of us have been there.
 
Yet what I found most interesting in this case, is that Chuck seemed so unlikely a partner for Christina.
 
She was deeply liberal, a rabble rouser, an activist.
He was deeply traditional, a toe-the-liner, a community builder.
She dressed in sports gear. He wore suits.
She was tiny and feisty. He was large and relaxed.
She was agnostic. He was Catholic.

At first glance, it seemed like they wouldn’t have anything in common. 

​That’s when I realized: what we see on the outside of a relationship has nothing to do with what’s on the inside.
 
A true partnership between two people is all about the Souls of those involved involved.
 
In that way, all of the outside elements: the affiliations, the styles, the ideologies, even the personality characteristics don’t matter.
 
When we get older, we start to know who we are on a Soul level. This makes it easier to overlook all the outer trappings of another Soul.
 
The Soul agreement is recognized, beyond all else. 

You've probably noticed it too: there are  a lot of people out shopping. 

​The season is about to roll forward with all of its mind-numbing consumerism, and it's a good time to reflect on what's really important to you. 

It's not that shopping is directly related to what's going on in the U.S.: threat of sexism, racism, genderism grabbing hold again, after so many strides. 

Except: shopping is distraction. Holiday preparations can be a distraction.

If you are finding the world depressing and trying to fix that by going where they're playing Christmas songs and the merchandise is merry and bright... 

Don't be distracted.
Pay attention to what's going on. 
There is serious work to be done, folks. 
At a soul level, at a human level, in the way in which you spend your time and place your attention. 

It is so easy to be lulled into group thought. 
Instead, connect with the Divine. 
If you don't know how, try any of my courses (or someone else's courses) and learn how. 

Instead of Black Friday this year, plan on creating your own Light Friday. 

Your spiritual practice is crucial right now. 
Begin it, restart it, commit to it, practice it. 
Don't get distracted. 

I've always enjoyed watching silly comedies: lighthearted fun that makes me smile, laugh and relax....

There is something so healing about the sheer relief of laughter. 
It's been proven to be extraordinary medicine. 
And in these recent stressful times, even though they continue to be serious times... there is also a place for laughter. 

Not as a way of replacing the serious considerations we must now make. 
Not as a way of replacing the re-dedication to spiritual practice that many of you are now doing. 

But as a reminder: life is a miracle.
There is always Light.
Our hearts can always be opened. 

​And yes... life is very, very funny sometimes. 

You've probably heard this zen wisdom:

"Meditate for an hour a day, unless you are too busy.
In that case, meditate for two hours."

I'd like to suggest you apply this to your own life... not in terms of time-on-the-cushion, but in terms of intention. 

In other words: 

"Connect with the Universe each day, unless you are too stressed. 
In that case, connect with the Universe in every moment." 

In the practice of spiritual intuition, we don't focus on the length of time spent in meditation. That is a very valid practice, but in spiritual intuition we seek to receive Divine guidance in every moment, from every Source.

We seek to learn the language of the Universe, so we are always and continually guided. 

Thus, understanding can happen very quickly. It may not take an hour: it may take ten minutes, or five or even occur instantaneously. 

To do this, we use a continual process of: 

• Entering in to work with our Guides, receive visions, messages, knowing and all the ways the Universe communicates with us from within
•Expanding out to receive synchronicities, events, messages and all the ways the Universe communicates with us from without

If you are stressed over the election as many of us are, then I invite you... now more than ever... to attend to your spiritual practice. 

• Recommit to your spiritual study
• Connect daily, or many times a day, with your Guides & Angels 
• Reconnect with your spiritual support groups 
​• Be aware, open, transparent and expanded
• Use Light to stay out of darkness and fear
• Learn the language of the Universe, and let it guide you