Ashleigh's Remembrance Service

Everything went amazingly well. The event began with me playing 2 songs, I wrote for Ashleigh. They were moving piano pieces that a friend of mine named, 'Strength'. The piece felt like 500 people holding hands, walking over a hill, together. I sold copies of the songs, for $10, and donated all of the money to Ashleigh's family. I think there were 25-30 copies; all but 2 sold.
This really set the mood for the beginning of the event.

The chapel held around 100 people that night. When I got up to speak, I saw a combination of sad, desperate, and hopeful eyes staring back at me.

The speech is too long to post in this blog, but I'll highlight what I talked about. I said that I have an odd propensity for attracting violent cases. My friend Tony died years ago by gun shot, my cousin organized Columbine's memorial, and my sister knew Kaylee; the 4 year old killed by her mother in Florida.

I shared how after my friend Tony died, he visited me. And then I shared how he visited his brother as well. That we both had the same experience.

I empowered the audience by asking them if they had a 'feeling' about Ashleigh that week? If they though of her a lot? (there were several nods in the audience) If they had an odd feeling of dread? I reminded them that these are God's tools to remind us that there is more at work than we can see.

I connected with the younger audience and told them that this would change them; forever. But that they could make a decision to have it change them for the better and not worse. Allowing themselves to be filled with anger and hatred would be as Ann Landers said, 'It is acid that destroys the vessel it is in' That is not the point of this; and certainly not what Ashleigh would have wanted.

I told them that this tragedy happened for a good reason; although it is hard to see now. I said that perhaps someone in the audience would become a grief counselor, or a law enforcement officer, or maybe, just maybe, they'd find themselves in front of a group of grieving souls in the future, trying to guide them towards a higher meaning to all of this.

I got an applause. Not a huge one-it was inappropriate. But something I said impacted these people.

Afterwards, no knowing how well I came across, a family member came up to me and shared something very powerful. She stated that the night before, Ashleigh visited her family. They all felt a calm peace come over them, and they all knew it was Ashleigh. My comments really hit home for several people.

Although the parents weren't there, her brother was. He just stood, looking shocked and grateful, with a pile of money in his hands, as people bought Cd's, after the service.

It was truly a wonderful, spiritual event. I would gladly do it again. Honestly, I usually have anxiety speaking in front of a group of that size, but I really didn't this time. I felt a force greater than me, moving through me, that night.

Oh, and on a human note; I've never played my music for that many people. That was a little scary for me..

Kate (Ashleigh's friend and creator of the memorial) was thanked repeatedly by friends and family. Most funerals aren't as wonderful a remembrance service. Several people got up during the event to share about Ashleigh. Apparently, she wasn't the most graceful person, and there was even some laughter through the tears! It was, without a doubt, a huge honor to be present and share with so many beautiful people.

Rememberance Service for Ashleigh Love

Through a series of events, I have been asked to be the key speaker for the remembrance service, for Ashleigh Love. She is the young lady that was shot in the face, last week, but an unknown assassin. Her friend Kate, a student of mine, has been taking my weekly insight classes for some time. She organized this event with the idea that a focus on gratitude, and the positive ripples that Ashleigh's life created, will promote healing from within, for all of those that were hurt.

Kate told me that there would be a small group, 5-7 students, that would be attending. Well, as of last night, it was up to 400 people. I'm anxious about the size, but I also know that Spirit has called me to speak words of peace, calm, and healing to a group of very hurting individuals.

I seem to have this propensity for attracting high profile cases. My cousin organized the Columbine Memorial (she lives just a mile from the high school), my sister went to Kaylee's birthday party (the 4 year old that was killed by her mother in Florida), and now this. As if knowing Kate wasn't enough, yet another one of my students was touched by this event, as she works with Ashleigh's aunt. What are the chances? Clearly, Ashleigh wants me involved; and I'm happy to do so.

Years ago, a good friend of mine, was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and was violently shot in the chest; dying instantly. Being from a quiet suburb, this was such a horror, none of us knew how to process it.

I'm grateful that I had that experience; though sorry for the loss. I feel that living through that gave me many spiritual insights that I readily use for situations like these. Perspective is the key to healing, and living, I believe.

The remembrance service will be at 7pm, at Pius High school, this Saturday night. (10-10-09)
I'm not sure how much space there will be; as it's in the school's chapel. Please wish me and Kate luck. This is important. So many people are in desperate need of healing.

I allow vs. resist

I taught my first 'weekly insight' tonight. This was the result of an inspired idea to teach a different topic each week, with no obligation to sign up for a series. I'm not sure how well it went. The 4 new people bolted, like a fire alarm went off, after it ended. :- )

My regular students stayed around to talk to me, but commented that it might have been 'too much' for the general person to absorb. None of the new students knew of 'The Secret' or the 'Law of Attraction' or Reiki. I've been getting mixed energy feelings since I got home. Like 1/2 of the group was thrilled and the other half is still processing what I said.

During class, 11 minutes (huh, 11, I just caught that...) into my recording, the devise stopped because the disk was full. :-( So no pod cast.

I've been seeing '11's' again; all over the place.

I guess it happened for a reason, but I have no idea what that would be at this time. Tonight's topics were; allowing vs. resisting success, and sitting in a room of darkness with a million doors of opportunities. I'll touch on that briefly, because I love it. When I am 'stuck' in life, I visualize being in a room of darkness with a million doors. I imagine sitting on pillows and waiting for doors to open. Sure enough, after a couple of days, at least one door will open. The key is to do two things; do not imagine what the door (opportunity or solution) will be, and to KNOW that it will open. It always does, because it always has, and always will. I must trust this.

Tonight I got an e-mail from a kind student, who objected to the fact that I did not go into depth about the spiritual aspect of manifesting in 'His' name.

I e-mailed back that everyone experiences the same chemical endorphin when they feel God in their own way. This has been tested scientifically. Wars are STILL fought over this. Only humans are so ego based as to believe that their belief, their path, is the ONLY way for people to reach enlightenment. How is that allowing? And allowing is how we grow. We grow for ourselves in all aspects by allowing others to believe, to achieve, be gorgeous, be happy, be wealthy, be in enriching relationships, spend money, save money, have healthy bodies, etc. etc. etc. When we judge and resist this, we forbid ourselves to achieve it. Powerful thoughts create powerful vibrations. This is echoed back from the universe.

I've seen manifesting in several belief systems. They all seem pretty similar in that aspect to me. If you believe something, using your higher power or not, you will attract it. This is what I have witnessed. So in my eyes, I don't feel it matters which faith you are. So long as it makes you feel good, and it's working for you. I allow all belief systems for others and therefor allow a progressive and evolving belief system for myself.

I'll take moment and imagine a world where everyone is actually OK with WHATEVER you believe about a higher power. We all live in perfect harmony...(Maybe my Angel Helper Graduate, who is hosting a Group Intention class, can have the group focus on that intention for me.. that would be wonderful....)

I'm eager to hear comments about this, so please feel free to post.
Have a great night!

Such change!

This has been quite a summer! Last week, I officially retired from nearly 15 years of massage therapy. In addition, I retired from hosting Reiki sharings. 2 massage/Reiki practitioners are replacing me, and a gifted Angel Helper graduate of mine (an advanced intuitive training class that I offer), will be hosting the Reiki sharings from now on. At first, I felt a bunch of anxiety from this. It was a stressful month. But now, I am elated! Delegating is not something that comes easily to this controlling Scorpio; but it's the progressive path that I'm ready to take. The support I've received has surprised me. When I asked a good friend of mine what she thought people would think of all of my changes, she responded, "They have been coming to the clinic for awhile now, and have seen how it has grown. They have been expecting this, Lisa." I felt such a relief when she said that!

My new office has 2 sunny windows, and flowers to gaze upon, during my day. Each day I am there is long, but enjoyable. It seems that my life is a mountain of details, events, and more details. This month alone, we brought on 7 new people! That's 50% more than we had. There is an undercurrent of excitement and optimism. And to my surprise, several new clients have responded to the $30/hour massages. I had hoped for business, but not like this. I am allowing and breathing in each moment, in each day. The perspective that I have is that making room in my life for the clinic will allow it to grow. After all, the universe hates space (T. Harv Eker), so it fills it up. This leap of faith is just that. Trust and faith; and it's already happening.

Someone at the clinic told me this week that by making this choice, I was actually helping everyone else at the clinic grow. And that is the plan. To focus on united growth. It feels good to be in a work environment where everyone is positive, grateful, and flourishing while doing the job that they love.

So there you have it. For those of you that didn't know exactly why I was doing this, I hope you now understand.

My immediate future goals include teaching new intuitive classes, and possibly couple's massage.

Have a great night!

I cured it!

This is such exciting news for me... I CURED my lactose intolerance. For 10 long years I've suffered for hours with violent stomach cramps and gas pains if I had so much as a bite of ice cream or cheese. It's over! Last night I even ate cheese, Ice Cream, and yogurt and I felt PERFECT!

How did I do this? Well, a few weeks ago, I made a decision that I REALLY like cheese, and that I would really enjoy my life more if I could eat dairy again. (After all, it's a great source of protein, dairy, and calcium.) And life has been SO complicated with a dairy allergy. I imagined the effortless life of being able to eat whatever I wanted, without consequences. I imagined all of the food choices I would have again. And ever since I made that decision, it's been getting better and better. I am so amazed with this, it's CURED. Wow, I'm proud of me; my intention really worked. Now, I want to cure my sons of their wheat allergies, and me of my issues with weight. (I'll elaborate one this later.)

So, in a recap, I have cured the following diseases/conditions: Endometriosis (A fertility condition), Von Willibrands disease (A blood clotting disorder), Raynards (A circulation disease), Mitro Valve prolapse (A heart condition) and Lactose intolerance. Wow! I recently told my ob/gyn about the first four conditions I cured. It wasn't that she didn't believe me; she just didn't know what to do with the information I gave her. I mean, is there a government funded group of people that pursue unexplainable cures of incurable diseases? Of COURSE there isn't. With this thought, I realized that I wasn't as upset with the lack of validation that I've received from the medical world. At best, I would hope that they might tell a patient, 'Well, I do know someone who cured your condition, but you'll have to ask her about it...'

The only thing I am hung up on is my weight. I'm the same weight as I was 20 years ago, but I've never been truly happy with my body image. When all of my friends were skinny adolescents, I was always the heaviest of the bunch. I've been on a special diet now for a 3 weeks, and exercising. I have toned, for sure, but no significant weight loss. What's the block, Lisa?

I think I might have figured it out. I have an acquaintance who shared her theory on her negative blocker with her weight. I think I share her same perspective. We are both so blessed, in so many ways in our lives, that we feel that in order to be completely accepted, we must keep one part of ourselves broken. Isn't that disturbing? After all, I wouldn't want someone I love to stay a little bit broken in an effort for me to accept them better. I wonder how many of us do this to ourselves?

I made the mistake of turning on the TV last night. It's been weeks since I've done this. Let's see.. I watched shootings, fires, debt, foreclosures, train crashes, divorce, death, and I'm not sure what else in the brief time I had the TV on. I laughed; each channel I strolled through was worse than the last! It really seems like no one wants to hear about successes or ease in this world. Unless you are struggling, and suffering, and a victim, it's just not interesting. People are very ready to accept those who have 'earned their keep' in the world with a bit of pain, and struggle. If life is working for you, and easy, they don't want to hear about it.

WOW, that was negative, wasn't it? Let me shift that. I choose to hang around people that don't whine, complain, or stay stuck. It's OK to be in a tough place in life, or to be in a bad mood, but when that defines you as WHO YOU ARE, it's annoying, draining, and gets old fast for me.

I hope that my sharing of successes only ever appears as that. My achievements are meant to be excuses to SUCCEED and re-write those negative blockers and beliefs that keep people stuck. It doesn't serve me, you, or anyone to stay stuck by those negative reasons we come up with to keep ourselves smaller.

Wayne Dyer says that you don't attract what you want; you attract WHAT YOU ARE. Wow, that really made sense with me. Some part of me is still that overweight little girl. I'm not going to lie; it's not easy to see myself without any thought of weight. It's a challenge to imagine myself not giving an ion of energy or thought to my body because 'my body is just right for me'.

But that won't stop me. I'll do it; after all, I cured all of those diseases. What's easier, losing 15 lbs, or curing a disease?

Wish me luck, and thanks for reading my post. I love the energy I get when you read this. And I really love your comments. Have a beautiful day.

The soap box

Lately, I've been very aware of passionate people, and their causes. I am a intense person, so I attract intense people. I've talked to people angry about animal rights, about Reiki and the Catholic church, about fertility drugs and multiple babies, about welfare programs and state aid, about Religion and beliefs, about who should be in therapy and who shouldn't, about recycling to save our planet, and more. I watch with the eyes of a loving witness. Most of the time, people are just blowing off steam, but some people get really angry about these things. What's interesting to me, is how angry they make themselves over these issues. As though getting angry will give them more power. As though their righteousness will somehow change this situation. (It doesn't appear to do anything; except raise their blood pressure!) More times than not, I find myself grateful that I don't 'Hate people who drive and talk on cell phones' or 'drive big, wasteful cars like Hummers'. Thank goodness I don't have an emotional trigger to these things. It seems like quite a burden to me! Mostly, I am aware that I am stepping back from them. In their anger inflation, they 'pull' at my field. I find myself 'bubbling-up', and backing off. After they have vented, if I can, I will tell them that I appreciate their cause, but it is not mine. And that I wish them well on their journey. Oh, and that when they get that angry, they should know that it affects other people's energies adversely. This usually bring immediate awareness to the individual, which is a good thing.

The greatest changes occur with direct and focused intention. Emotion complicates action if it is improperly channeled. And innocent people can get hurt in the process.

Does the Dalai Lama rage at injustice? I don't think so. He probably looks upon everyone with love. I believe he refers to the Chinese as his 'brothers and sisters', despite his country's injustices.

How did Martin Luther King Jr. go about things? Similar.

I just read something on our work calendar. It's a picture of an ugly tree, and it says, 'There is beauty in everything, but not everyone can see it.' Confucius. It's true. Even the ugliest of actions can somehow have beauty if you look at it with loving eyes.

Our world will change, and you will change with it. But you can choose how to change. You can choose to be angry about the things in life that you can not control, or you can choose to find beauty and gratitude for what you do have, and can control. It's your energy. You can do whatever you choose with it. No one can take that from you.

I, myself, choose to direct my energy on love and gratitude. Too much energy is wasted in this world on fear, and anger. We only have so many minutes, and so many breathes in our lives. Are you finding the miracles in all that you have to be grateful for? I'm doing that now, and today.

It's the Adventure; not a Destination

It's funny how life presents tiny 'zen' moments to me, through the most unlikely sources! My son Ian was playing Mario Cart Wii; his favorite game in the entire world. I don't normally sit and watch him play it, but he asked me to; so I did. 

Ian's way of playing Mario Cart is very different than how I would play. You see, the obstacles that you are supposed to avoid, the ones that cause your character to skid off a cliff, or blow up, are what he will intentionally back up, to run over. Watching his character skid all over, or explode is much more interesting to him, than winning the race.

I realized that I am sometimes so entirely focused on my goals, that I miss the fun of the journey.

As to amplify this point to me, Brian surprised me with a piece of art he found on Craig's list. It is a mid-70's impressionistic, central European piece, out of Prague or Budapest. He's always wanted one from that era. We ended up rearranging all of the art in our living room, and also, the lower level. I have been encouraging Brian to clean out the office for 3 years now; and this inspired that. 

Upon cleaning out the office, we found a bible from the 1800's and some other goodies that might be of value. I am more than willing to part with something that I don't use, and didn't know we had. 

So, after pulling the 'surrender' card this morning, I am trying to relax into the process of changing the world. It's a journey, not a destination. And if I'm not enjoying the process; what's the point? My life is for living and enjoying; not merely 'getting through'. This entire process with the county will take months. It would be more enjoyable for me to see it as an adventure, not a destination.