by Christine Green | Feb 17, 2013 | Uncategorized
The hospital staff person came in to empty the trash. “Thank you so much,” Laurence said. “Where are you from?” “Guatemala,” she replied. He asked her about her family, her life, and her journey to the United States.
My husband Laurence was in the hospital at the time diagnosed with leukemia. It was just one more jolt in a long series of medical complications. Wherever he was or whatever he was doing, he always stopped to express his gratitude.
He said thank you to everyone. He thanked his business associates, children, family members, clients, and the clerk at the neighborhood deli. He thanked me for taking care of our home, for doing the laundry and for buying the groceries. He said a prayer of thanks before every meal.
More trauma. A bone marrow transplant, complications with medications, a series of strokes. Laurence was in a coma for a week in Intensive Care. At Day 7, his doctor told us to get his affairs in order.
Prayers intervened and Laurence miraculously awoke out of his coma. As he regained consciousness, he began to whisper. Can you guess his first words? Thank you.
Laurence is no longer here on this earthly plane. But he left those of us who knew him with a reminder of the power of giving thanks. Gratitude acknowledges that we have received the gift that is being given, whether it is a compliment or an act of kindness. Gratitude puts us into a humbled state of appreciation. It connects us with God.
I am quite confident that Laurence is aware of the love and gratitude being sent his way. I am convinced he watches over his children and grandchildren, his mother, siblings and me. I am certain he is sending each of us extraordinary beams of love.
I know he hears my prayers of gratitude in the middle of the night for the amazing life we shared. I hear him whisper his reply. Thank you. I love you too.
by Christine Green | Feb 5, 2013 | Spiritual Practice
Promises to restore youthful appearance, energy and vitality are abundant in our world today. Millions of dollars are spent on lotions, potions and creams to slow down the aging process and keep us looking and feeling youthful.
If you’ve been on the spiritual journey for a while, you know that the process works from the inside out. It’s the clinging emotions on the inside that clogs our energy and vitality. Resentment, anger, victim-thinking saps our energy and keeps us tired and run-down.
The cleansing process starts on the inside with forgiveness, self-love and acceptance. Have you ever noticed that when a problem is solved or an issue resolved you feel lighter like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders? Freedom started on the inside. It changes how we carry ourselves and how we respond to others.
There is only one secret potion that will restore youth, vitality and vigor. It is Love. We already own it, our work is to allow it to be revealed.
by Christine Green | Jan 31, 2013 | Spiritual Practice
Have you noticed there is an impatient four year old that lives in the mind? Are we there yet? How much longer before we get there? How much time is this going to take?
Time takes forever when we are waiting for an event to happen but disappears when we are living in the moment. Time seems endless when want our goal achieved but vanishes when we have released attachment to the results.
George Leonard shares in his book, Mastery, that in martial arts training, there is a moment when it appears the student is no longer improving. The skill level seems stagnant and stuck. Actually on the inside there is an abundance of activity of the mind, body and soul all coming into alignment. The challenge is not to stop practicing, but to continue regardless of the outside results. Progress is happening on an inner level that we can’t see. Change happens, not always on our time schedule. This is the practice of faith.
Faith isn’t something we turn on or off. It is a seed planted in us. As we nurture and cultivate it, our faith grows deeper, stronger and more profound. Deepening faith doesn’t happen overnight. It takes monitoring our emotions and reprogramming old thoughts into new ones. It takes picking ourselves up when we feel beaten down or finding something to be grateful for in the midst of challenges.
Faith happens when we appreciate each day as a treasure and every experience as a gift. May your days be filled with patience, faith and a sense of peace that you are doing exactly the right task, at the right time, with the perfect outcome
by Christine Green | Jan 25, 2013 | Uncategorized
Have you listened to the voice lately? No, not the TV show with the amazing singers. I mean the voice in the back of the mind. Some days it reminds me of being in a car with a back seat driver who is constantly nagging, criticizing and itemizing all the things I’ve done wrong. It can be exhausting!
The voice is the inner critic and it is very sneaky. It shifts attention away from itself and makes me believe that “those people” are the enemy. THEY are the ones who are judging and criticizing me. THEY are the ones who are keeping me from success. THEY are the ones who are out to make my life miserable.
Truth is, “those people” are a fabrication of my imagination. There is no one waiting to pounce on my mistakes or criticize my actions. We are all on this journey of life together. THEY were created out of fear. Together we are love.
When I step out from behind the walls and barricades created by fear, I look out at the smiling faces that are glad to see me. I notice people that are eager to help and those that are willing to listen. They have been there all along. Now I can clearly see them!
The next time the voice in the back seat starts ranting about what you are doing and where you are going, tell it to chill, be quiet, or take a hike. There is no time to listen. Life is full of amazing people ready to connect and collaborate with us. We are on a mission to make the world a better place. Together we can get it done!
by Christine Green | Jan 23, 2013 | Uncategorized
Things we take so much for granted are enormous tasks when dealing with an illness. Often after a serious illness the patient has to regain their strength. The simple things we take for granted like eating, walking and getting to the bathroom can be overwhelming for the patient.
The caregiver may appear to take it all in stride as we acknowledge and celebrate each success along the way. But often the pain of watching our loved ones struggle can be overwhelming.
Acknowledging grief and the sense of loss during an illness is so important. It can be a powerful way to move through changes an illness brings. It paves the way for love.
Excerpt from A Caregiver’s Journal: Recording Lessons of Love and Hope by Christine Green. Available soon at a bookstore near you. ISBN: 978-0-945385-45-5
The hospital staff person came in to empty the trash. “Thank you so much,” Laurence said. “Where are you from?” “Guatemala,” she replied. He asked her about her family, her life, and her journey to the United States.
