No matter where you are- it's never an accident. From the place you work to the situations and encounters that occur throughout the day. These encounters are not a coincidence-which leads me to my story...

Today I was in Giant Eagle Grocery store. I live in a relatively Urban part of Cleveland- full of diversity- which I love- and why I have not moved in 12 years... This Giant Eagle it is one of those places where the diversity abounds. There are people from every ethnicity- from every socioeconomic level- and lifestyle. It is a virtual melting pot of humanity.

I don't frequent this store usually because everyone who works there seems unhappy and feels the need to let you know. So I usually have to have my 'psychic armor' on just to shop there.

<i>My Disclaimer before I begin-This is not a judgment this is a spiritual observation of the goings on...lol</i>

Today, I was in the checkout line, and the man running the register was in a very bad mood- picking on and making fun of the other man packing my groceries. He was being very sarcastic and mean- in a kidding way;but what I found most interesting is they both had physical disabilities; one more than the other.

Another employee came up and announced to the others that there were two elderly women begging for money in the parking lot. (they do this all the time-- so they said) Which started a tirade of judgment and opinion about people who beg- and what they 'need to do' about these women.

The customer and cashier from the line next to me chimed in about getting 'tired' of giving money to people who refuse to work or drink it away- "They should get a damn job" said the young man who made the announcement-and they went on and on.

I really couldn't be present to this situation and allow them to spew this intolerance anymore. I said "What about compassion?"They became very quiet. "It's not about the money- it's about compassion. No one wakes up deciding to be in poverty. They may not have the tools to change what's happened- or be aware of what to do next. They may be too proud or naive to ask for help in a better way."

The conversation abruptly ended.
A wave of sadness came over me.

When will we see there is no 'them'?
'They' are 'me' and all of us. What befalls one, eventually befalls us all- we are all connected.

If you bear witness to these situations- they are the way the Universe presents opportunities to us- to challenge us- to see how we will respond.

Do we apply all the spiritual things we are reading?

Do we walk our talk?

We are being called to rise. To stamp out the darkness that has separated us.
Do you have the courage to answer?

Find the strength to Speak your Truth with love and make a difference in our World.

I was reading a beautiful posting by 'OldMan'- Michael- here on Gaia
http://theancientone.gaia.com/blog/2008/8/let_no_man_raise_his_hand#comments
The subject of his blog was honoring women as  the creative force and his intolerance to the abuse of women.
It was beautiful.

As I read it- it reminded me- (as Gaia does!) of my journey to awakening and how- not so long ago I was a victim at the hands of many people who treated me badly.
I am posting my response because  we all need to be reminded of  the truth in our society .
Also,  what we can we do as spiritual warriors to RISE and champion others who  cannot champion themselves?

Be a mentor- volunteer with women and men who abuse or hav been abused- volunteer at a orphanage where children of abuse live. Find a way to empower our mothers and fathers so we can create loving healthy families.

Micheal- first, thank you for your message of honor and respect for women.
Frankly  I was a person who allowed myself to be emotionally abused. I was a victim to this treatment most of my life.

Through my spiritual awakening I saw that my adult behavior was hinged on my childhood experiences- the experience (and teachers) continued to be sought out by me because of  the experiences I was shown as a child.

This knowing allowed me to remove the victim and accept responsibility as an adult woman to heal that place. Then I was able to I could break this dangerous cycle in my life. I then became a teacher for other men, women and children- empowering them to understand themselves and each other in order to create loving relationships with themselves and others.

Our male children are rarely taught( in our society) what it is to be a man. What the rights and responsibilities are -because there are not enough healthy teachers present. We must see that boys too need nurturing  in order to be compassionate men- the 'suck it up Nancy' machismo thought of denying their feminine side is a load of crap. So they equate sex and power with Love.

Our girls do not see themselves as the 'Life bringers' the Creative force in the world. They are so starved  for nurturing that they compromise them themselves; giving in to sex to satisfy the need to be loved and connected.- The women and men in their lives have taught them this.

So the root of this issue is; our children need to be nurtured- have examples of women and men who love themselves and others unconditionally- who set personal  boundaries and respect the boundaries of others.

There is no easy answer- but our world is full of bullies and victims- all suffering from the same issue- Lack of nurturing- lack of self esteem and ultimately-lack of Love.

Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception-and the day that St Bernadette was canonized as a Saint. Her 'Feast Day'. I am posting this information because Saint Bernadette holds a special place in my heart- and seeing now how similarly the lives of this Saint has mirrored parts of my life.

First- I was born with a club foot. My Irish Aunts went to the convent of the Poor Claire's (on Rocky River Drive, Cleveland) and received a bottle of holy water from Lourdes- they gave it to my mother with instructions to put it on my foot every day with a prayer to the Virgin Mother. The sisters of the Poor Claire's would say Novena's on my behalf for a specified period of time. According to my mother- my foot straightened out- miraculously- without the need for braces or surgery.
Secondly-
When I was confirmed in the Roman Catholic Church- I took the name of St Bernadette as my 'confirmation name'.I did so because I felt a Spiritual understanding (even at that time in my life) of knowing things and seeing things that were not believable and how she stood in her faith against ridicule- especially by the Church.( I was also being mercilessly bullied at that time from many directions)

Her visions and conversations with the Mother were very profound for me- and it brought me comfort in knowing that even though Bernadette was just a simple girl- she was called. It confirmed for me there were Angelic beings who love us;And even though we are not famous or powerful- we can still be called to do great things.
So here is a little bit of history about one of my patron saints.- I am Marianne Jane Bernadette- Named after Mary- the Mother- Ann her mother and St Jane- the patron saint of forgotten people. (amazing....lol)- and Bernadette- patron saint of illness and poverty...

Have a Blessed day. :)




<b>Chronicle of Significant Events in the Life of St. Bernadette
7th January 1844 The birth of Bernadette to Francois and Louise Soubirous. She was christened Marie Bernadette on 9th January at St. Peter's Parish Church in Lourdes.
Autumn 1855 The plague broke out in Lourdes. Bernadette was infected by the plague. Although she recovered from it, she fell victim to asthma, and was to suffer for this for the rest of her life.
11th February -
16th July 1858 It was during this period that the eighteen (18) apparitions took place. Our Lady on most occasions simply prayed with Bernadette and allowed herself to be contemplated. At other times, Our Lady would converse with Bernadette, giving her instructions, thus bequeathing to us the message and the spirituality of Lourdes.
19th May 1866 The crypt which formed the basis of the Chapel in Lourdes (desired by Our Lady through Bernadette) was inaugurated and consecrated by Bishop Laurence of Tarbes.
4th July 1866 Bernadette left Lourdes and entered the Convent of Saint Gildard to become a nun under the Order of the Sisters of Charity in Never.
30th October 1867 Bernadette took her Religious Vows together with 43 other novitiates. Bernadette remained in Nevers because she was ill and considered incapable. She was entrusted with the task of working in the infirmary of the convent and of helping in the kitchen.
16th April 1879 Bernadette had been suffering serious attacks of asthma and tuberculosis of the bones of her legs. She died at 3:00pm on this day. Bernadette was just over 35 years old.
23rd September 1903 Bernadette's body was exhumed, 30 years after her death, as part of the ecclesiastical investigation leading up to beatification and canonization. Her body was found to be incorrupt, the whiteness of her body preserved and there was no odor.
14th June 1925 The Beatification of Bernadette.
8th December 1933 Pope Pius XI proclaimed Bernadette Saint. The Canonization of Bernadette Soubirous took place on this day, which was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
Present St. Bernadette's body is still in a perfect state. Her body, covered by a thick layer of wax for preservation, is resting inside a bronze and crystal urn, in the chapel of the Convent of Nevers in France.
Saint Bernadette Soubirous
(1844-1879)</b>

I am the car pool Mom and take my son and four other kids home ever day.
Yesterday I had been taking donations to various agencies throughout Cleveland.

I picked up the kids and they were being kids- picking on and fighting with each other...
(I say kids but they are in junior high)

So I told them I had to make a stop to drop off one more donation- and I took them to the Men's homeless shelter in downtown Cleveland. I had a load of blankets - and knowing the temperature was going down again,  I felt they would be  desperately needed.

Well...Divine timing being what it is- we arrived at about 3:30- just when the men are lining up to get in to the shelter for the evening. There were at least 60+ men standing in line with their bags of possessions. My son goes there all the time- but the others had never been there.
The car got very quiet.

I turned around and explained- In the morning- the shelter  makes all the men go out to the street,  it seams mean- but if they didn't, they wouldn't look for work- or see how painful this way of life is. I explained that these men have serious problems. Some are addicted to drugs and alcohol- some are mentally ill. Some got out of prison and can't find work- because they have had no education- or their criminal record makes it almost impossible to get a job.Some just had tragedy that left them without.

 But when they come in to the shelter at night- they get food, a bed, a shower, laundry and counseling if they want it- and if they do- they help them get their lives in order. They get them medical- mental health and legal assistance- even tutors from the college come to help them get their GED and even a permanent place to live.

So I told them to lock the doors while I dropped off the blankets.
I walked across the street and all the men said  hi!!! What 's in the bags- is it food- can I have some??? They were laughing and they even held the door for me.  I left the bag at the desk and went right back out. One man yelled- "Will you marry me??" "I yelled back- "You don't want me I'm a lot of work!!"  which got a big laugh from the entire group...

All the while- 5 pairs of very large eyeballs were watching from the van.

I got back in the car- and we all waved at the men who were waving  at us....
I expressed how grateful I am for my life....
It was a pretty quiet ride home....

Marianne Goldweber

Peception is a very interesting thing. It's like when you find out your pregnant- and then all of the suddden- every commercial on TV is for baby stuff...

It's not  like a 'sigh'  from the Universe- it's that your perception has shifted. You become acutely AWARE of the baby commercials...lol

If you follow this blog- I am an advocate for  the homeless and those of us who are suffering. So.."I see homeless" people everywhere..(Like "I see Dead People)... you would be shocked to know that they are everywhere-regardless of where you live...

Anyway- I went to the gas station in my neighborhood- There was a man standing outside- in the freezing cold at the end of the building- he had on boots that weren't laced- a hoodie under about three other light jackets- he had rubber gloves on under his gloves and he was a little scruffy- and looked tired and worn.

My homeless radar went off. I went in bought my vanilla creamer and a pack of smokes and when I came out and he was still there- so I said "Good Morning!"- he said "good morning"- I said "I'm a minister that does out reach for the homeless- is there anything you need?" He looked at me a little strangely (common) and said "Huh?"
I said, " I'm heading downtown- are you homeless?" His face broke out in a gigantic smile and he started laughing- I though he was going to spill his coffee..

He said "No- I'm wating for my car to get fixed across the street and came to get a coffee.."  I appologized. He said "Wow- thanks for noticing me. It's nice to know that people are out here caring about people." I told him I  was glad he had a home- and was OK. he said thanks again!!.....

I think I'm out of control.....lol

Hey- Better safe than sorry- but I'll bet he starts to see homeless people....lol

This is going to be fun!  Get in line folks!!
Dream interpretation is my hobby. Being a medium/Clairvoyant professionally; I love to awaken others to their own inner guidance- teaching folks to acknowledge and decipher the messages you  yourself are receiving on a 'nightly' basis...

For the next week- I will accept emails from you about your dreams and I will post one answer every day randomly from the emailed dreams I receive....I will post my interpretation here so  you can learn what they mean and how to decipher them for yourself in the future...

How does the Universe send us messages- how can we become more aware of this communication- through your Dreams of course!!

While our human self is asleep and out of the way- our dream time connects  our higher selves with the Universe.

The challenge with dreams and visions is they are usually symbolic- everything and everyone in the dream is an actor in the play- designed to get you a very specific message about what we are facing in the waking world.

So stay tuned- get your dream journals out and lets post some wonderful messages and see what they really mean!!!!

The Serenity prayer is a reminder for me that I have control or power over no one but myself. The chaos is from my trying to manage things that I have no control over.
If I change me- I am then a mirror for others to look to for Peace.
In addition to allowing others to come to their awakening in their own time, withoout my influence., the same way it had to happen for me.
Marianne


Full Original Serenity Prayer
by Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)
God, give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

What is a Birthday? A birthday is technically the anniversary of the day we came kicking and screaming into this world- through the pain and labor of our Mothers. It is the day our soul entered into a journey - through this human experience - to learn- evolve and become enlightened- and then to teach that to another.

I will probably call my Mother- as I usually do to thank her for that.
I don't really make a fuss about birthdays, but today marks a special  year.

Every seven years we experience a transitional age- at 7 we are no longer babies- we become children- at 14 we transition into adolescence- at 21 we become adults....and so on...

For me this year marks the last year before a major transition. this will be year for me to take the opportunity to really put the past to rest- to reflect and celebrate the victories and take all that growth and knowledge into the next 7 year phase of growth. I'm pretty excited- and a little sad...
Today is also the New moon- a time of finishing- mourning and reflecting on  what hasn't come to pass and creating what I want to happen.

It's kind of like watching 'It's a wonderful life'.. We wonder- what purpose has my existence served by being here? - What difference am I really making to others?

So the phone rang this morning and I hear my friend Jen singing Happy Birthday-
 
Then I get Online  and see all the wonderful people whom I've met along this great journey- taking the time to stop and wish me well ...and I am so grateful,
 for it truly is a Wonderful Life....
Happy Birthday to me........