Saturday, September 20, 2008
Lost? Try Asking God For Directions...
From a distance it always seems as though everyone else's life is running smoothly, until you get up close and realize that they are dealing with the same struggles, uncertainty, and angst that you are. The problems may be different, but life has a way of being an equal opportunity offender - no one's life is perfect - we all are confronted by challenge every day. And each of us will face various crossroads throughout our lives. Though how we work through those processes may be very different...

I have always been an analyzer - when confronted with challenge I think things through carefully, looking at all the angles...eventually making up my mind as to the course of action I want to take, and then begins the inevitable round of what if's- what if this happens, what if that happens. Then the worry about making the wrong choice pops up, followed by uncertainty...and well, you get my drift.

Others may take a different approach - perhaps read self-help books, consult with a therapist or life coach, or one of the more common approaches: do nothing. Sometimes when faced with uncertainty it just seems easier to do nothing than try to figure out what the next step should be.

I was at a very important crossroad in my life a few years ago...my illness was really wearing me down and I felt as though I had exhausted all possible options...I didn't know what to do next or where to turn for answers. You can read more details about what happened to turn things around for me at http://www.healwithhope.com/ My Story, but suffice it to say that some events took place that lead me to the one and only option left to me: asking God for guidance. I am not a religious person, and this was defnitely out of my comfort zone...but I took a leap of faith, asked God for guidance, and there is no doubt that God answered my call.

I reached another crossroad later that same year, this time I was feeling better physically, but because I was still not well enought to work I felt as though my mind was wasting away and my life had no purpose. And so once again I was at a loss as to what my next step should be, and I turned to God for guidance. I asked God to "show me the way" and to figure out "what is mine to do". It has been almost two years since I asked God those questions, and in that time I have been inspired to create the Heal With Hope website, write a book (which I hope to be releasing soon), and my latest projects - a great line of inspirational products (watch for an announcement soon on Heal With Hope).

And so I would suggest to you, if you are at a crossroad in your life and just can't seem to find your way, try asking God for a little help. I believe God is an equal opportunity provider - you don't need to be a certain faith, pray in a certain way, or do anything other than ask for some guidance. Of course being an honorable, loving, caring being probably won't hurt your cause either. Skeptical? That's ok, give it a try anyway...I sure am glad I did. ~ Andrea :-)
Written at 7:16 AM by Andrea.
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Saturday, September 13, 2008
What really matters...
It has been heartbreaking to watch thousands of people being forced to evacuate their homes the last few weeks - storm after storm has forced so many to flee, often with little time to grab what they can and leave.

Which started me thinking about what I would take with me if I was forced to leave our home in just a moment's notice. As I make a mental list of the absolute necessities I would take, I realized that all of the "things" that have always seemed so important - the furniture, the accessories, the stuff - really don't matter that much after all. I love to shop...and probably always will...and I do enjoy having a nice home...but all of those beautiful things that I painstakenly shopped for are just that, things. They can be replaced, so if I had to leave it all behind it really wouldn't matter much, because the truth is, it's just "stuff."

What does seem important? The same things you hear people say they grabbed as they hurried from their homes, or the things you see people searching for in the aftermath of destruction of their home: the family photos and mememtos. I suppose that is because all the "stuff" can be replaced, but the memories of the people and good times we shared with them, exist only in our minds, or in the snapshots we took, or the souveniers we bought to serve as a reminder. As I look around my home those are the things I would be devastated to lose - my kid's baby pictures, photos of my parents who are no longer with us, the little mementos we've picked up through the years. Perhaps some of my little angels and tiny buddhas that I have been given by friends and family would make their way with me...but as I look around there is not anything else that I could not live without, because it can all be replaced. As long as my family and our pets were safe and at my side, all would be ok.

Well actually there is one very vital thing that would absolutely have to go with me - my little make-up bag!! Really, I could survive without most anything, but please don't ever ask me to give up my lip gloss, mascara, and powder...there comes a time in life when those things move from the frivolous list to the necessity list!!! So the make-up bag in on the list of non-negotiable items I am taking with me!!

On a more serious note, my prayers are with those who have been forced to flee their homes...I pray they will be able to return to find their lives in tact...their homes still standing, their possessions awaiting them, but most of all their family and friends safe. ~ Andrea :-)
Written at 7:41 AM by Andrea.
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Saturday, September 6, 2008
The Law of Attraction in Action!
When I first opened myself to the possiblity that my thoughts, actions, and expectations had a direct impact on what I would attract into my life, I wanted to believe it, but truth be told I didn't really think it was possible. But time and again I have proven myself wrong...and in the last year I have come to trust that not only do we have the power to attract the type of energy we want, but also that the Universe will enhance that energy by bringing people and circumstances to reinforce those intentions.

If you have read any of my other blog entries, you already know that I have had some amazing experiences attracting positive energy into my life...Iwanted to share my latest confirmation of how the energy of my thoughts and desires continues to manifest into reality...

Although life has been going well and I have been feeling very fulfilled in my personal life, and in the work that I am doing, I've felt as though I had hit a plateau with my healing and was ready for the next step. And so once or twice in the last week I added to my nightly Gratitude Prayer: "Thank you God for guiding me to the people, places and things that I need to find to take me to the next level of healing." I then let it go because I've come to trust that when the time is right all I need to know and do will be there...

Last week I completed updates to Heal With Hope (if you want to be added to the Update list you can email me: andrea@healwithhope.com) and sent out the update notification. I included a friend, Charlene, an amazing cranio-sacral therapist that became a very special friend of mine, but who I normally contact through my personal email account. I wanted to know if she had any photos of herself performing cranio-sacral as I was interested in adding some photos to the article on the website to help people better understand what it is all about. Because I had never contacted her through the web email before, I typed in her address from memory.

I received a reply a day or two later, but found it a bit odd - Charlene is normally so warm and loving in her notes and this reply was very impersonal and to the point...she said, "no, I don't have any photos but feel that the article on the site is incomplete". I was surprised as she had never said anything like that before, but I thought perhaps she was busy and didn't have the time to add much more to her note. We corresponded several times on the subject - I invited her to write an addition to the article so it was complete...she agreed, but each note continued to be very impersonal and stuck only to the subject at hand. The last note I received from her was about to solve the "mystery" as to why Charlene did not seem herself. The last line of her most recent email asked, "would you remind me how and where we met." I knew something was not right - I mean this was Charlene...someone I had shared very personal experiences with, who was such a good friend, and I knew that unless she was losing her mind, that she would know who I was!!!

Well, as you've probably guessed by now, I had been sending emails to the wrong person...yes her name is similar (Char instead of Charlene) and their email addresses are exactly the same except one uses aol.com, the other earthlink.com...

Here's the part that I love best - both are cranio-sacral therapists, and the "new" Char takes cranio to another level, which she is going to write about and share on HWH in the future. She also uses a program called Resourcing that sounds very interesting and is something that I think may be helpful to me personally, and perhaps will be of interest to those who visit HWH - I will keep you posted about this!!

Think about it - I am looking for new ideas for healing, and the Universe guides me to a person who has some new perspectives on healing that seem to fit my needs!! Do you think it was an accident that I messed up the email addresses?? I sure don't - what are the chances that you mess up an address and then reach someone who has information you are looking for???!!!

I have also received an email from someone who "found the site by accident" and who has offered me some great ideas about healing. Check out Jo Davidson's wonderful site: http://www.zentertainment.org/. Jo, who is working her way through some challenging health issues, has created a great site - Zentertainment Talk Radio - to share information to help others heal. I think you will love her site...and I am sure you will agree it was no "accident" that she found HWH!! (She also suggested a site to me that sells vibrational remedies for healing purposes...I haven't looked into it yet, but perhaps it's another suggestion the Universe has sent for me to explore?!? Check it out if you are interesed: http://www.healerswhoshare.com/).

In addition to asking for guidance on healing, I have also been working hard on updating the site and began to wonder if all the time and effort I spend on it is worth it - am I really helping people?? Well, the Universe decided it was time to remind me why I do what I do - I have received several emails in the last few days letting me know that information on the site proved helpful...and I hadn't received any emails like this in quite a while!!

So if you want great things to come your way, maybe it's time to choose to believe it is as simple as this: be willing to think positive, believe that everything is possible, and ask God to lead you to what you need and want...though make sure instead of "asking" you give thanks for it right up front - let Divine Power know that you believe it is coming, and you just might find that it will!! ~Andrea :-)


Written at 11:33 PM by Andrea.
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