Focus & a Christmas Miracle

These days, no matter how late the hour, I look forward to channeling the weekly newsletter. I can feel the angels’ calm presence, their unwavering love, and their refusal to participate in fear or chaos. They hold only a vision of light and loving outcomes. Over the years, they’ve taught me to do the same as best I can. I’m blessed with friends who live this way too.

This practice proved to be life-changing for one of my dear friends, who gave me permission to share her story.

On Christmas Eve, she called to say she wasn’t feeling well and wouldn’t make it to dinner. We missed her, but in our circle, self-care is celebrated, so we sent love and held her in our hearts. During dinner, we got a second call, “I’m really not feeling well. Do you think I should go to the ER?” 

Another friend who is a retired nurse took charge with a definitive, “Yes,” and a strong admonition to go right away. This woman had worked in hospice and had radar for impending doom.

Our dear friend did get to the ER immediately, where it was discovered she was in renal failure with potassium levels so high that a heart attack could happen anytime. Through God’s grace,  a team of caring doctors and nurses, a huge prayer network, and her willingness to surrender and make the best of what was happening, her life was saved. It had been a very close call. We gave thanks for the Christmas miracle and proceeded to hold fast to a vision of her healing completely.

Dialysis began almost immediately. The medical team said she had a chance of recovery. Those around her held strong in the knowing she would recover. We spoke of no other possibility. We pictured her healthy, happy, dancing in the kitchen and baking again. Our nurse friend helped with the medical needs. I joked about being the catering service and quickly educated myself about renal diets—what was safe, what could be flavorful and nourishing.

She changed her diet immediately, eliminated all stressors, surrendered to her treatment, and found meaningful things to do even during long hours of dialysis.

And a few days ago, when a nurse came in to install the permanent port in her body, she declined emphatically and proclaimed that this treatment was temporary and that she was going to have a complete healing.

Miraculously, after just a few weeks, albeit still weak, she was strong enough to go to a spiritual event that we had planned for quite some time.  We all intended a miracle. We talked about the healing that would happen. She surrendered to enjoying the day. Sitting there in the crowd, I felt heat flowing in her direction and knew something good was going on.

Five days later, she received the news that dialysis was no longer needed. Her system had miraculously recovered.

This is the power of focusing on the good.

Throughout her hospital stay, she remained kind to staff, walked to support healing, took smiling selfies, and wrote reports for all who were praying. She believed in her healing and spoke of it openly. We focused with her. Her surrender, gratitude for life, faith in the future, and positive focus opened the door for grace.  We are all giving thanks.

And while this may not seem to have much to do with the world’s condition, the underlying “spiritual mechanics” are the same. Surrender to what is. Have faith in what you wish to come. Do what you know to do, listen to your guidance, and expect help along a grace-guided path.

This dear soul could have fallen into despair, anger, hopelessness, or a million other perfectly understandable states of mind. Instead, she chose gratitude for life, positive expectation, open-mindedness, and a willingness to change. Holding fast to her desired outcome above all doubt, she got her miracle.

We can’t always change what is happening in our world, but we can change what is happening in our personal world, in our minds, and in our spirit.

We can’t always fight off our own fears, but we canbreathe and surrender to the love that lives within.

We can’t stop the violence, but we can refuse to think thoughts of violence and retribution.0

And one kind soul at a time, we become a weve of peace, kindness, and faith, that touches hearts and changes our world as surely as ocean waves reshape the shoreline.

So breathe, read on, and pick a tip or two to help bring peace, presence, and power into your personal world:

1.  Stay in Your Own Lane

It is easy to hate the haters, wish ill on the violent, and fear the fearful. It is understandable to accept a dire diagnoses or judge ourselves through the lenses of others

However, is far more powerful, peaceful, and promising to stay in our own loving lane.

We free up energy when we allow others to choose whatever path or behavior they need in their own lives, and turn the other cheek, so to speak, by looking for good and sharing the love we have to give.

Next time you see someone behaving badly, breathe in. Receive Divine Love. Exhale. Share your love. Allow others walk their path while you walk yours.

2. See Through the Lens of Divine Love

I frequently ask the Divine, “How do you see this? How do you see this person’s behavior? How do you see this world situation?” Inevitably, I receive a feeling of a profoundly loving creator watching the children who don’t know any better at this time, wishing only good and kindness for them, and wanting them to know they are so much more.

I never feel judgment. I never feel despair. I never feel a sense of “Shouldn’t have made that one!”  There is only a love so profound it is beyond our human reason. It bears witness to the truth of a soul. We can too.

In practical terms, this means focusing on a person’s future health when they’re sick, their future happiness when they’re down, and on them as a being of light when they’re not shining so brightly.

It isn’t about denying what is going on right now, but about holding fast to a greater, better, brighter truth for the soul.

3. Breathe

The angel’s admonition to breathe is rooted in both spirituality and biology.  In ways we don’t yet understand, we allow the unseen energies to move through our body with the breath.

Biologically, the breath is a powerhouse hack to peace and calm. A long, deep breath followed by a slow exhale subtly vibrates at the back of the throat, tripping the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve runs from the back of the neck down to the base of the spine, connecting with nerves that supply every major organ.  It is known as the “rest and digest” nerve. When triggered, it signals safely and tells the body to exit fight-or-flight mode.

I call it the “Chakra Nerve” because it connects to the physical nerve bundles that align with the spiritual chakras. This is one of the reasons why monks Om’d to reach calm, higher spaces. It is why mothers put cold compresses on worked-up kids (the facial nerves connect with and trigger the vagus nerve). It is one of the reasons why whistling and singing help you feel better.

Think about it. What’s the first thing you’d do after being chased by a tiger, and finally finding safety? Deep inhale, exhale. Sigh of relief. Vagus nerve activated. Fight of flight switched off.

There is a lot of good in this world. And there’s a lot of horrific nonsense going on, too. The darkness is amplified and paraded in front of us as if it is the prevailing power, but it is not. As I like to say, “God is still God. Good is still good. Light is still light.

And nothing can dampen the love that keeps looking for ways to touch and inspire human hearts. In our love and our faith, we have the power to create peace,  upliftment, and a better world. Breathe. You just shared that love.

Have a blessed week,
Love,
Ann