family
The Mystery Of Mom’s Silverware
It’s been almost 19 years since my mother passed away and today I can still remember as if it was yesterday. I have wonderful memories of her, from her making her little cherry pies to Sunday dinners.
When I lived at my parents house there was a silverware set that I wanted, and nothing else. That was it. As a child I would rearrange this silverware set when she was not looking. I would place the forks where the knives were supposed to go, and I swapped the bigger spoons with the smaller ones.
The cutlery set was mounted on the wall and every time I did this she would get upset with me, because she had to put them back in order again. I continued this silly game into my adulthood, as childish as it may seem. After she passed away I didn’t know what happened to the silverware set and I ask my dad about it. He said, “Your sister had it and she was going to put it in the yard sale.” I was naturally very upset. I wanted something that I can look at when I was at my parents home and picture my mother pretending to get upset with me when I would rearrange her precious set. Continue reading
You Need Some Pop-up Preparedness
Life happens, therefore pop-ups happen to. What is a ‘pop up’? Well, a pop-up is something unforeseen that occurs to put a snare or trip you up in a negative way. It is a term I have invented for lack of a better one. I feel it’s a gentler way of describing those negative things that tend to pop-up during the course of our life that set us back in some way.
A family may have planned a very special time together, for example, and they had looked forward to it and patiently awaited that very enjoyable event. Then the phone rings and one of the parents has to go and tend to a new priority, and the child is left wondering what happened.
Well, what do we do in today’s world, where we live by the cell phones and social networking websites, and our friends’ and other people’s needs and desires, while putting those that we are supposed to treasure the most and love the most on the ‘back burner’. In the process our most intimate relationships suffer. Some of us just don’t know how to say no to those pop-ups! Continue reading
Can Oxygen Help To Prevent Cancer?
Six years ago this week, I sat with my mother as she took her last breath. She died of brain cancer. She went to the doctor with a massive headache. They ran some tests, and she was told that she had fourth stage brain cancer, and had only three weeks to live.
Last night, in the exact same Hospice Center, six years after her death to the day, I sat with my life-long, dear friend and roommate of six years, as he was taking his last breaths. He too is dying of cancer at the age of 37. This cancer was also detected about three weeks ago. After only two chemotherapy treatments, the doctors said it was useless. He was then transferred to the Hospice Center to die.
Last month, my cousin went to the doctor complaining of pain in his groin area. He was admitted to the hospital for tests. They found fourth stage cancer and he died four days later. Continue reading
Addiction And The Calling
If my spiritual calling was masked by addiction once upon time, how many other people could also be masking their calling with such escapism?
As a recovering alcoholic, addictive behavior is something I know all too well – together with the co-dependency behavior that inevitably surrounds the addict. I actually credit my experience with alcohol, and the realization that there is no escape that way, as leading up to me heeding my calling. My life purpose was to work for spirit, and any time not being in touch with that calling left a huge void, or ‘hole in my soul’ type of feeling within me.
My initial training into the mystical was in the African tradition, whereby one is selected by the ancestors and called to the task of healer, priest, counselor and diviner. Channeling and the ancient art of throwing and interpreting the bones are used as forms of divination in this tradition. Continue reading
Ol’ Boogeyman Still Comin’ To Getcha?
In my line of work there is often an unhealthy obsession with the concept of evil. It appears we are simply not able to rid ourselves of this ‘thing’ we seem to have for the boogeyman (here in my country known as the tokoloshe).
Just the other day I was listening to a radio psychic scaring the living daylights out of his unsuspecting caller. She just wanted some career advice, but instead he was hell-bent on convincing her that her home was infested with evil entities. His charming co-host also jumped in to offer some old-wives’ cures for getting rid of all the demonic forces. Truth be told, the only disturbance I was picking up on was the fact that the poor, freaked out woman would not be getting much sleep for weeks!
Now, don’t get me wrong. The struggle between good and evil is very, very real. It is a fundamental component of the human condition. It is also the basis of all Creation. It stems from the duality found in every important aspect of our expanding Universe: dark versus light, life versus death, night versus day. Light needs the presence of darkness to be truly visible and meaningful. Continue reading