Saturday, 10 December 2016
THANKING GOD FOR SMALL MIRACLES!
I'd had my left my landline phone off the hook in my bedroom which results in may lounge room hands-free set also being deactivated. It's some thing I just do for various reasons but, this time forgot to put the phone head piece back on the 'hook'.
Meanwhile I'd been doing stuff on my laptop for about an hour or so and decided to change my cloths in preparation for going out, so went into me bedroom to change. I had left a Youtube video playing on the laptop and thought it had finished playing when I went into the bedroom and put my bedroom clock radio on to listen to while I got dressed. As I was reaching into one of my drawers I heard an unusual ringing noise which sounded like phone, but thought it could be coming from the youtube video, as it had automatically changed to another tune. Still wasn't sure so checked my bedroom landline phone and saw that it was off the hook, the way I'd left it, so it couldn't possibly have been my phone ringing. So put the phone receiver back on the hook, but checked it a couple of times re dial tone by pressing down the receiver piece and then when I finally put the phone to my ear, I was shocked to hear my daughter on the line talking to me.........how absolutely weird, miraculous and out of this world!
As far as I'm concerned this was some kind of a small miracle because I was meant to speak to my daughter, who wanted to come for a visit and if I wouldn't have heard that mysterious ringing (miraculously), I wouldn't have got the call (ie wouldn't have checked my phone). God does truly work in some mysterious ways, that's for sure!
MY 13/14 YEAR OLD 'NEAR DEATH' EXPERIENCE
I was being taken on a holiday with a friend of my
mother and his wife. My mother was a single my mum working full time,
so it was good for her to have somewhere to send her kids away during
school hols, particularly since she didn't have any family in this
country. They were all in Europe. Anyway this was the holiday of a
lifetime for me, as I don't remember
going anywhere else nearly as interesting before then. We were going
on a camping trip around NSW in a Volkswagon combi-van.
We left Sydney in the van and as we were driving over the blue mountains a bee was blown into the passenger window where I was sitting and I was stung. To me this was synchronicity in hindsight considering what was to come. Anyway I put on a big song and dance, crying, moaning and being very fearful about what had just happened. Westy the driver and also a kind of adopted uncle to my family, stopped the van, got out and came around to my side and sucked out the sting, as well as making a comment that the bee had died in the process of stinging me, so it wasn't so bad for me given that perspective.
We drove for long distances, camping along the way, with Westy sleeping outside under the stars and/or in a small tent, and me and his wife Annie sleeping together in the back of the van. His wife was semi paralysed after having had a stroke that she never fully recovered from when she was a lot younger. We drove further and further out into the Australian outback and for me it was an amazing thing to see all the land stretching for miles out everywhere, red and almost lifeless in some places with blue hazy mirages on the horizons. Finally we got to Cobar and Broken Hill and then we made our way back down towards Victoria, down the Darling River or there abouts. I remember seeing the Darling River at several points and finally we ended up in Echuca which was at the time a township in the Murray River, on the border of NSW and Victoria, where the Darling met the Murray or close to that point. I had a swim in the Murray although I couldn't swim, but enjoyed romping around in the cool water etc.
We then drove along the Murray, making our way towards Albury and after Albury we drove up north west to a big country town called Yass. We then drove to Bowning which was a small village just outside of Yass. Not sure if it was part of Yass, as I was only 13 or 14 years old then (possibly somewhere in between) and it was approximately 1958. Anyway Westy had some close friends living on a cattle station in Bowning and we stayed with them for about 3 weeks. These people had a cattle station which ran sheep and cattle and a huge property with a creek running through it. They also owned the butcher shop in Bowning where they sold some of their meat, as well as having an abattoir just outside from the Bowning village, half way between the village and their home.
I was allowed free reign and I was given a little job of taking care of a few animals which made me feel important and it was fun. They also had heaps of fruit trees and the apricots were in season. I made myself sick on them eating too many in one go. Anyway one day I was taken to the abattoir to be shown how they make sausages. After that Westy told me I could find my own way home if I wanted to so I did. I don't know how I knew where I was going, but I decided to take a short cut across a huge paddock that had really tall grass and some trees here and there, as well as being fenced off. I started across the paddock, after climbing through fences etc; and and then as I got to about half way across I noticed the paddock was swarming with bees. As I write this I still feel the shock of what I felt then. As I was about to react.....but didn't know how, I heard a gentle voice saying to me 'stay calm and quiet and walk slowly through this to the other side'. I felt enclosed by some quiet, protective and calming energy, which I know wasn't mine, yet instinctively knew that I had to follow these instructions or else. So I quietly walked through this long grass that was swarming with buzzing bees and the grass was somewhere up to my waistline. Finally I got to the wooden fence railing on the other side and quietly climbed through to reach a man made path that was clear of grass and bees. It was then that this mysterious calming presence left me and I trembled in the knowledge of what I'd just come through. I was pretty naive and somewhat immature at the time, so didn't realise the full impact of what could have happened then to me. It was only about 40 years later, when I heard on the radio news in Sydney that a man had been stung to death in his back yard in Stanmore by bees. Hearing that bees responded or reacted to fear regarding this tragic accident, I realised probably for the first time how blessed and fortunate I was to have had a 'guardian angel' watching over me on that day in 1958. I never told anyone about this experience as a child. I don't know why not. Perhaps I didn't realise how important it actually was, although I never forgot it. I did't consciously comprehend that I could easily have been stung to death on that day if I had reacted in my normal way, IE same as in the van on leaving Sydney.
I know now beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we do have guardian angels and that there is something bigger than ourselves that governs our lives and destinies. I thank Almighty God for His great mercy on that day and for allowing me to live out my life, so that I could continue to grow spiritually and develop as a human being. I have had many other small miracles along the way and know now that God is real and loves us as we are.
I guess I could say that that was my first real spiritual experience that I had, without really knowing it at the time on a conscious level, although I feel I always knew on a soul level.
We left Sydney in the van and as we were driving over the blue mountains a bee was blown into the passenger window where I was sitting and I was stung. To me this was synchronicity in hindsight considering what was to come. Anyway I put on a big song and dance, crying, moaning and being very fearful about what had just happened. Westy the driver and also a kind of adopted uncle to my family, stopped the van, got out and came around to my side and sucked out the sting, as well as making a comment that the bee had died in the process of stinging me, so it wasn't so bad for me given that perspective.
We drove for long distances, camping along the way, with Westy sleeping outside under the stars and/or in a small tent, and me and his wife Annie sleeping together in the back of the van. His wife was semi paralysed after having had a stroke that she never fully recovered from when she was a lot younger. We drove further and further out into the Australian outback and for me it was an amazing thing to see all the land stretching for miles out everywhere, red and almost lifeless in some places with blue hazy mirages on the horizons. Finally we got to Cobar and Broken Hill and then we made our way back down towards Victoria, down the Darling River or there abouts. I remember seeing the Darling River at several points and finally we ended up in Echuca which was at the time a township in the Murray River, on the border of NSW and Victoria, where the Darling met the Murray or close to that point. I had a swim in the Murray although I couldn't swim, but enjoyed romping around in the cool water etc.
We then drove along the Murray, making our way towards Albury and after Albury we drove up north west to a big country town called Yass. We then drove to Bowning which was a small village just outside of Yass. Not sure if it was part of Yass, as I was only 13 or 14 years old then (possibly somewhere in between) and it was approximately 1958. Anyway Westy had some close friends living on a cattle station in Bowning and we stayed with them for about 3 weeks. These people had a cattle station which ran sheep and cattle and a huge property with a creek running through it. They also owned the butcher shop in Bowning where they sold some of their meat, as well as having an abattoir just outside from the Bowning village, half way between the village and their home.
I was allowed free reign and I was given a little job of taking care of a few animals which made me feel important and it was fun. They also had heaps of fruit trees and the apricots were in season. I made myself sick on them eating too many in one go. Anyway one day I was taken to the abattoir to be shown how they make sausages. After that Westy told me I could find my own way home if I wanted to so I did. I don't know how I knew where I was going, but I decided to take a short cut across a huge paddock that had really tall grass and some trees here and there, as well as being fenced off. I started across the paddock, after climbing through fences etc; and and then as I got to about half way across I noticed the paddock was swarming with bees. As I write this I still feel the shock of what I felt then. As I was about to react.....but didn't know how, I heard a gentle voice saying to me 'stay calm and quiet and walk slowly through this to the other side'. I felt enclosed by some quiet, protective and calming energy, which I know wasn't mine, yet instinctively knew that I had to follow these instructions or else. So I quietly walked through this long grass that was swarming with buzzing bees and the grass was somewhere up to my waistline. Finally I got to the wooden fence railing on the other side and quietly climbed through to reach a man made path that was clear of grass and bees. It was then that this mysterious calming presence left me and I trembled in the knowledge of what I'd just come through. I was pretty naive and somewhat immature at the time, so didn't realise the full impact of what could have happened then to me. It was only about 40 years later, when I heard on the radio news in Sydney that a man had been stung to death in his back yard in Stanmore by bees. Hearing that bees responded or reacted to fear regarding this tragic accident, I realised probably for the first time how blessed and fortunate I was to have had a 'guardian angel' watching over me on that day in 1958. I never told anyone about this experience as a child. I don't know why not. Perhaps I didn't realise how important it actually was, although I never forgot it. I did't consciously comprehend that I could easily have been stung to death on that day if I had reacted in my normal way, IE same as in the van on leaving Sydney.
I know now beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we do have guardian angels and that there is something bigger than ourselves that governs our lives and destinies. I thank Almighty God for His great mercy on that day and for allowing me to live out my life, so that I could continue to grow spiritually and develop as a human being. I have had many other small miracles along the way and know now that God is real and loves us as we are.
I guess I could say that that was my first real spiritual experience that I had, without really knowing it at the time on a conscious level, although I feel I always knew on a soul level.
LESSONS ON LIVING
Some time ago I was travelling by public transport in Sydney to my
spiritual group. It was about 6pm on a city bound train and I was
sitting in one of those compartments with two seats down either side.
When I got in to this compartment, there weren't many people in it
although I noticed quite a lot of people in the other carriages. It was
Friday night and I imagine lots of people going into the city for some
fun etc. There was a young man sitting down the other end of the
compartment from me with one leg in plaster and crutches. I sat down on
the seat closest to the entry and relaxed whilst the train continued to
the next stop. At the next stop a group of young Asian male and
females got onto the the train and came into the carriage I was in.
They sat opposite me and I imagined they may have been students going
home from TAFE, as the station we'd pulled into was right next to a TAFE
College. As the train travelled along I could hear these young people
talking in their language quite gently and quietly. After a minute or
so the young man with the crutches called out 'speak English';......so
obviously from the sound of him he was Australian born and bread. The
Asians ignored him and then soon after again, but with more aggression
in his voice, he said 'speak English' more loudly. The Asian youth
stopped talking and looked across at him as they were sitting directly
opposite me. I looked at them and sensed the hostility building up in
this carriage. I could have moved but felt disinclined to do so.
I'm not racist and have been tired of the some of the Australian racist attitudes about for a long time now. So I decided to get involved and see if I could diffuse the hostility in the young Australian man and prevent 'world war 3' from happening on this train. I said quite disdainfully, as I turned to face the young man, "in the fifties it was the Italians and the Greeks......now it's the Asians". He looked at me a bit startled and then asked me what I meant. I then explained to him of how when I was a young child in this country, how aware I and others had become of the hostility and hatred many Australians had towards migrants from certain parts of the world, and at that time it was mainly Italians and Greeks. But mostly Italians. They worked harder than many Australians did and that was seen as a threat. Now Australians have embraced the Italians and Greeks with sharing often in the cultural events and foods etc. Then they represented the feared unknown, so now it's the Asians who are seen as the threat. The young man seemed suprised and said in a youthful innocent way, 'I didn't know that'. Then he asked why didn't they speak English anyway and I explained that who's to know when these people have arrived in this country and wether they have had time to even learn English etc. Apart from that I said to this young man who had calmed down no end, 'no one has the right to tell people what language they should or shouldn't speak. He sat quietly as I also stopped talking and then I got some kind a feeling of empathy for him and asked him 'you have a lot of anger about you, don't you'. He replied that his anger was mostly to do with himself and his own frustration at having to be on crutches and his plastered leg.
What a miraculous turn about I felt. His honesty touched me deeply and I learned something about prejudging others, as I also had judged him wrongly. The Asian youth opposite had calmed down and relaxed and as we continued to travel along the young man and I chatted in a friendly manner. What really surprised me was as we all got off on the same station, he apologised to the Asians saying that he had friends who were Asians too. I felt like I'd won a major victory for humanity and had my faith in humanity restored immensely. I thank Almighty God for the little miracles that He allows into my life every now and then.
I'm not racist and have been tired of the some of the Australian racist attitudes about for a long time now. So I decided to get involved and see if I could diffuse the hostility in the young Australian man and prevent 'world war 3' from happening on this train. I said quite disdainfully, as I turned to face the young man, "in the fifties it was the Italians and the Greeks......now it's the Asians". He looked at me a bit startled and then asked me what I meant. I then explained to him of how when I was a young child in this country, how aware I and others had become of the hostility and hatred many Australians had towards migrants from certain parts of the world, and at that time it was mainly Italians and Greeks. But mostly Italians. They worked harder than many Australians did and that was seen as a threat. Now Australians have embraced the Italians and Greeks with sharing often in the cultural events and foods etc. Then they represented the feared unknown, so now it's the Asians who are seen as the threat. The young man seemed suprised and said in a youthful innocent way, 'I didn't know that'. Then he asked why didn't they speak English anyway and I explained that who's to know when these people have arrived in this country and wether they have had time to even learn English etc. Apart from that I said to this young man who had calmed down no end, 'no one has the right to tell people what language they should or shouldn't speak. He sat quietly as I also stopped talking and then I got some kind a feeling of empathy for him and asked him 'you have a lot of anger about you, don't you'. He replied that his anger was mostly to do with himself and his own frustration at having to be on crutches and his plastered leg.
What a miraculous turn about I felt. His honesty touched me deeply and I learned something about prejudging others, as I also had judged him wrongly. The Asian youth opposite had calmed down and relaxed and as we continued to travel along the young man and I chatted in a friendly manner. What really surprised me was as we all got off on the same station, he apologised to the Asians saying that he had friends who were Asians too. I felt like I'd won a major victory for humanity and had my faith in humanity restored immensely. I thank Almighty God for the little miracles that He allows into my life every now and then.
LEANNE'S 'DREAMING' ON SYDNEY HARBOUR - 7TH DECEMBER 2016
Standing on
the outside of the Manly Ferry while sailing across Sydney Harbour, on the way
back from Manly to Circular Quay, I gazed at the distant harbour side cliffs
with their ragged browns, siennas and blackening shadows in the twilight of
Wednesday evening. I was thinking
intently on their story and of the history of the surrounding landforms as well
as the harbour. I was imagining how some
violent volcanic and/or earthquake eruption could have shaped the land in its
first formations. I was pondering upon
the thousands of years this land was here since the beginning of time and then
narrowed my field of thoughts and imaginings to the past 1-2 thousand
years. The scrublands, bushes and trees
had grown over the tops of the cliffs and created a greener landscape that seemed
to stretch along the harbour-side indefinitely.
As I looked at this land with intent and wonderment, given where my
imaginings were taking me, an image of a tall dark aboriginal man holding a
spear popped onto the scene on the cliff tops without my having even considered
the human footprints in this place. In
that instance I felt like I’d connected with the ancients of this landscape, the
ancients who stood tall and proud as they had lived for centuries off the
abundance of life that was there around the Sydney Cove area. I was touched with a pang of shame as I
dropped my gaze and that shame I knew to be that of the white man who had
robbed the original people of their land and culture in the last 200 years or
more. And at the same time I also felt
in awe of what I’d just experienced on an inner level……a feeling of a deeper
connection, just for a moment, to this ancient land and its people from so very
long ago.
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