Grace Lives Here

In my home in California, I have a painting with three words on it; "Grace lives here". It's one of my favorite pieces of art. It was painted by a dear friend of mine and fellow practitioner, Stephanie Dawn.

When I first started my practice, I hung it in my office where I saw clients, so that I would always be reminded that "I, of my own self do nothing", and that I could lean into the quality of Grace for anything I might need.

The Dictionary defines Grace as;

The freely given, unmerited favor and love of God, and/or the Spirit of God operating in humans to regenerate or strengthen them.

Although the word is often associated with Christian faiths, I believe that Grace is a Spiritual Quality inherent to us all that is available to us 24/7.

It's often implied that Grace is a quality that comes and goes, sometimes with us and other times not. For instance, it's operating when we are in God's "good" Grace and not operating when we "fall" out of Grace. I would venture to say that if you believe in a punishing/rewarding God, one that shows favor to you sometimes, and withdraws it other times, then you would also experience Grace that way.

We might even think of Grace as a single, isolated event that occurs. For instance, when we experience something falling into place easily, we might associate it with Grace. On the other hand, when we aren't experiencing Grace, it is when things feel difficult and challenging or even a struggle. You might wonder, where's the Grace then? Where's God then?

What if we take God out of the equation completely? Is Grace available to those who do not believe in God? Or is that an exclusive experience reserved only for those who believe?

I think of Grace as the Divine perfection and order of the Universe, always happening whether we're aware of it or not. For me personally, the goal is to become more aware of it...to see its mark on all things and all experiences. Imagine looking for the Grace and expecting it? Imagine knowing that Grace is happening right now...

How would you then perceive whatever is occurring?

If you can accept the quality of Grace in your life as a constant, then you can experience it that way, in every moment.

How is Grace operating in your life right now?

When things appear challenging, are you willing to turn your attention to the Grace that is available? If you can welcome Grace into your moment by moment awareness, then you too will know that "Grace Lives Here."

The other day, in the midst of a particular challenge, a long florescent light bulb fell out of my closet and hit me squarely in the head. "Where's the Grace now, right?"

I stopped for a moment and realized that the "light" was literally hitting me over the head, trying to get my attention. It was time to turn towards it!!!

Even in your darkest hour, Grace is always happening. Don't let a single moment go by without noticing it, and being Grateful for its constant support in your life.

To The Truth That Sets Us All Free,

Donna Gershman ALSP

PS. You can heal, and you don't need to do it alone!  If you or someone you know needs support in healing any physical, emotional or spiritual issue, please feel free to email me at youwillheal@aol.com or contact my office at (818)904-6840.

We Will Remember, Susan.

You may have noticed that many of my blogs are written on airplanes. This one is no exception. This time I am on my way to Los Angeles to attend the memorial service of my friend, Susan J. Paul. Today, I am moved to tell you about her.

I met Susan about 7 years ago when she came to sing at my Spiritual Center for the first time. She floored us with an original song of hers entitled, “My Soul Sings Out”. The congregation went nuts for her, giving her a rousing ovation that seemed to last forever. It wasn’t hard to see she was special.

Susan passed away July 19th at the age of 48. In the years that I knew her, she taught me many things. She embodied the Spirit of creativity like no one I had ever known. She oozed creativity. Not only did she think outside the box, she had no box at all. To be in her company was to be in the company of greatness. I don’t say this lightly.

And yet, in all honesty, at times I found myself in judgment of her life. I wanted her to sing more, get “out there” more, share her gifts with the world more. In my mind, she wasn’t always “doing” enough! It was selfish of me, really. I wanted the world to know her, and to be blessed by her gifts, especially her music.

Since her passing, there has been an outpouring of love from people all over, expressing their deep appreciation for how she touched their lives. Several have spoken of her big smile, the twinkle in her eyes, the many happy memories they shared, and the joy they felt when they were with her. Interestingly, no one has spoken of bullet points on her resume. They speak of who she was and how she made them feel.

Susan was in deed a sweet soul. She never had an unkind word for anyone, and even in the midst of her own challenges, she always took an interest in others, often lending an ear and offering kind and encouraging words.

I now know, if Susan had never written or sung a single song, if she had never painted any of her amazing works of art, she would still have lead a completely successful life because she was truly the embodiment of Love.

To her family and friends following her progress on her “Caring Bridge” page, Susan’s final message was simply, “Love”. That’s what she stood for, that’s who she was, and that’s what she gave so freely.

What she accomplished in her life or what she didn’t somehow has less significance to me now. What really mattered all along was the love she brought and left behind for us.

I could never forget my friend Susan J. Paul. Her love is engraved in my heart forever.

For the rest of us still here, I wish us all the realization that what we do on this earth, or what we don’t do, matters much less than who we are, and how we touch the lives of those around us.

I’m convinced that the most successful we will ever be in this life, is when our hearts are open wide and we allow ourselves to be the generous givers and receivers of love, we were always meant to be.

Susan has taught me since her passing, to let my heart and the love I share be my single greatest legacy on planet earth. Without that, what I do and what I accomplish matters not. Mother Teresa once said, "If it's not done with great love, it doesn't count".

I wish you all an open heart with which to Love and Be Loved. This is all you will ever need to truly be successful in this life.

To The Truth That Sets Us All Free,

Donna Gershman ALSP

PS. I have included a link to a YouTube video tribute to Susan. If you are interested in her music, you may find it on iTunes or through http://www.rembarecords.com/

PSS. You can heal, and you don't need to do it alone! If you or someone you know needs support in healing a disease, illness, chronic condition, injury or pain, please feel free to email me at youwillheal@aol.com or contact my office at (818)904-6840

Just like Zach

Recently, I was sitting on an airplane next to a very intelligent 10 year old boy named Zachary.

Everyone in his family calls him Zach, but I’m not sure he’s totally sold on that name. He is reading Harry Potter and explaining to me all kinds of things from gravity to his favorite poultry; it’s dark turkey, he only likes the dark meats. He also has a loose canine that’s causing him some trouble, canine as in a tooth, not a loose dog, (I foolishly made that mistake), but he only has trouble with it when he eats crunchy things like hamburger flavored Pringles, like right now. Come to find out, Zach has earned 258 AR points in school. AR stands for accelerated reader points, for reading books voluntarily.

He has read the entire Eragon series, and has told me they have a 4th book in the works called, Shur’tugal. I have learned more on my short flight from Norfolk Virginia to Dallas, than I have learned in months, even with an active use of google.

I just told him I was a healer, and he made it a point to tell me that advil is NOT for chicken pox, and that the most sensitive part of the human body is the fingertip, which I did not know.

I am struck by how much he knows already at age 10, and how interested he is in everything. He is genuinely passionate about life. Did you know that there are a million black and brown bears just in Amerty Alaska, alone? I am suddenly inspired to know everything too, just like Zach. I am suddenly inspired to earn hundreds of AR points, just because. I am suddenly encouraged by the world’s future. I know it’s in good hands.

How do you stay inspired? I believe that staying interested in life is the great “youth-er”.
It’s difficult to become old, crotchety and obsolete when you stay interested in life.

Zach just mentioned that his pastor told him that if you can channel the power of God, you can cure any disease or illness. He said that’s probably why I do what I do, because I can.

There is a bible passage that says “you must enter the kingdom of heaven like little children”. I believe this means that to experience the Consciousness of “Wholeness”, we must first become open, innocent and curious; just like Zach.

To the Truth That Sets Us All Free,

Donna Gershman ALSP

PS. You can heal, and you don't need to do it alone! If you or someone you know needs support in healing a disease, illness, chronic condition, injury or pain, please feel free to email me at youwillheal@aol.com or contact my office at (818)904-6840

Turbulence

A couple of years ago, after a month of traveling, I boarded a red-eye flight from California to return home to Massachusetts. Although I had a connecting flight, I imagined being able to sleep most of the way. My first flight to Dallas was uneventful, just like you hope for. The connecting flight from Dallas however, was not.

About an hour into the 3 ½ hour flight, in seemingly perfect weather, my plane started to shake and be tossed uncontrollably in the jet stream. I’ve certainly experienced turbulence before while flying, but nothing like this. The pilot attempted several quick maneuvers to avoid it, but to no avail. We were told not to leave our seats under any circumstances, and to keep our seatbelts fastened. The flight attendants remained in their seats, as well. For the next two hours, we had virtually no relief from the constant thrashing about of the plane. Other than the loud racket of carry-on luggage banging in the overhead storage compartments, you could hear a pin drop from the passengers on board.

I prayed for a full two hours non-stop. I prayed for the plane. I prayed to live. I prayed for the pilot, the passengers, and the skies to quiet. I prayed for peace, calm, knowingness. I prayed for faith. I prayed for everything I could think of, in every way I could pray.

Several times, I had morbid thoughts of the plane being torn apart, or plummeting through the sky and crashing, and I would quickly erase the thoughts and start over, praying for peace. I prayed every imaginable form of prayer from the begging and beseeching prayer, to the bargaining prayer, to my most commonly used affirmative prayer and finally to the “this is not happening to me” denial prayer.

It must sound funny, but denial prayers are powerful. Saying “No, I will not accept this experience for myself”, or “No, I will not go down this road in my Consciousness”, has saved me on many occasions. I often say, that our beliefs are what form our experience. Therefore, where we dwell in our thoughts, and subsequent feelings is critical.

I found myself literally battling my own thoughts, swinging between the morbid ones, to the positive thoughts, and to everything in between. “Make a decision”, I remember thinking. “Choose a side already!” But my fear would not subside.

I battled until I became completely exhausted and surrendered. Then something gave way in me, and for a single moment, I felt absolutely no fear.

I had touched something very deep inside, a place that was beyond the physical, and that was completely un-harmable. I knew this place. It was oddly familiar to me, and in it I knew I would be alright, no matter what happened, even if I was to die on that plane.

A peace that goes beyond all human understanding came over me. I glimpsed my eternal connection to all Life. I was Free.

The plane continued to be tossed violently, but I no longer was. My experience from that moment forward changed. I’m not going to say that I enjoyed it, but I will say it no longer had any power over me.

Just minutes before we landed, we got our only other communication from the pilot. He said that it was the worse turbulence that he and his co-pilot had experienced in 15 years, the worst in their career flying. Mine too.

When the plane finally landed, and I made it into the terminal, I cried tears of gratitude for my life, for the power to see beyond all human experiences, and for touching the place within me that is always rock solid, anchored, fully awake, un-shakable, un-botherable, un-harmable and which stretches far beyond my physical life on planet earth. This is the same place that connects us all.

Just days after my return home, the Haiti earthquake struck. Like many, I had been watching the stories coming out of the rescue effort. I couldn’t help but notice a common denominator in several of the stories about survivors that were pulled from the rubble days and even weeks afterwards. When interviewed, each one said they were not afraid. They knew they would be found alive. One woman was even singing while they were pulling her out. Her song was “Do not be afraid of death”.

If and when Turbulence occurs in your life, whether it’s an illness or something else, just know, there is a place within you right now that is more real than anything else. It can never leave you or forsake you. It will love you, comfort you, guide you, and see you through, come what may. I believe this to be the place, that when touched, brings about a complete healing. Give it your full attention and the turbulence before you, will become powerless.

To the Truth that Sets Us All Free,

Donna Gershman ALSP

PS. You can heal, and you don't need to do it alone! If you or someone you know needs support in healing a disease, illness, chronic condition, injury or pain, please feel free to email me at youwillheal@aol.com or contact my office at (818)904-6840.