transferring this topic over here on this new thread from the "is Jesus Real" thread.

so Don brought up the question of who to pray to: God or our own higher selves. I was wondering if anyone here could define what prayer is first from their own words. I'll give my definition later. lol. in case anyone's interested. anyway, it's just a discussion and I like to talk. if anyone has had their prayers answered that's what I would like to hear also. love, alysia

ok, hope I'm not talking to myself ;D although I guess I'm good company lol.

what is prayer? heres some ideas for discussion and the topic is always how we create the afterlife to my pov.

people say things like "that person hasn't got a prayer." or heres one: "pray without ceasing."

church of religious science just says "treat and move your feet." nothing about faith, nothing about emotion there. although I don't think I ever tried it quite that way. I always had to make it more personal than scientific. like Frank Sinatra, lol, we always have to do it "our way." there must be tons of puns, all like rotes.

here's a shortened version what is prayer my pov.
1) ask 2) receive, or 1)talk to God or higher self
2) then listen for the answer.
anybody got any answers what makes prayer work or not work?
I personally don't think it matters which diety you pray to and that includes the higher self concept, as long as you are open to receive the answer to what you are asking and quiet the mind long enough to be able to hear it. after all the sun shines on the just and the unjust unlike. love/light/peace, alysia

Alysia, I feel that prayer works the way my tag line says. ;-) I believe that prayer is any thoughts or talking outloud to God/All That Is with LOVE in one's heart. And Intent.  Meditation can also be prayer depending on the reason for the meditation.  Or maybe meditation is always prayer. ;-)

Love, Mairlyn

I think your tag just about says it all Mairlyn. thanks for response. alysia

Hi Alysia,

Since I got that tag line, my prayers have changed to thanking for what it is I'm praying for, already accomplished, already done. It makes a big difference in my 'feelings' of praying too. ;-)

Love, Mairlyn

Hi Alysia,

I never really understood prayers, but I definitely think they work.  

I really can go on and on about prayers being answered.  

Sometimes I question the fact of them being coincidential but here is one that I believe is not:

Once my kid was in school with a terrible tooth ache.  I was not at home at the time.  I had just walked into Mernard's when suddenly I heard this voice in my ear that said "ROBERT BRAINARD PLEASE REPORT TO CUSTOMER SERVICE!"  

Now on a normal day since I pay attention to NOTHING! I would not have heard this.  However, the voice was very clear and almost thunderous.  So I get to the phone and the school nurse says I'm needed immediately cause my kid has a bad tooth ache.  

The voice in my ear could be coincidential--I'll buy that.  So I get to the school and pick up my kid. I call the dentists office to try to get him in.  They say they're booked up for the week and that we would have to make an appointment or go to the hospital and take him to emergency--something like that anyway.  

So I hang up the phone and not a minute later, the receptionist calls me back and tells me they have a spot and to bring him in immediately.  So bring him in and everything was taken care of.

As I was bringing him in, he told me in the truck that he prayed for the tooth ache to stop and that's when it dawned me that his prayer must have been answered.  The prayer didn't cause the pain to go away, but I believe it caused these series of events to take place.

Here is another one if you've got time to read.  Now this one is just tooooo coincidential.  I remember my wife and I traveling to our new duty station which was in Ft. Cambell, Ky.  

We ended up staying in Hopkinsville which is quite a ways from Ft. Campbell.  Anyway, upon my first day going into Post the MPs pull me over and told me that my tags were expired.  

Now normally they would just tell you to turn around and that you can't come in until you get it corrected.  That way you still have your car.  But nooooooooooooo.  They kept my car and said I couldn't move it until I get my tags corrected.  

Back then I was a scared little kid in a new environment and didn't know anybody.  I called my soon-to-be 1SG for help and he yelled at me and told me to get it fixed and he ain't got time to be giving anybody no ride (His exact words).

It was our only car and had no idea how I was going to get home.  I tried calling a taxi but no one would come and I was getting really desperate.  

All of a sudden I saw these two ladies coming out of the store.  I don't know what came over me, but I asked them for a ride to Hopkinsville, which is a long way a way, and told them I would pay them.  

The reason I say that I don't know what came over me is because it was way out of character for me.  Anyway, they said how much and I said "fifteen dollar's", which was all I had.  They looked at each other as if a miracle had just happened.  

On the way, they were explaining how they needed fifteen dollars for a locksmith and how they had been praying.   They were almost desperate enough to go around and start asking people until I suddenly approached them.  

Well, they took me all the way up to where I needed to be, got everything taken care of, and then brought me back.  

Very, very cool SS. ;-)

Love, Mairlyn ;-)

I enjoyed reading them SS. Do you have anymore?

Really good stories, just shows somethings at work anyway!

Ryan

thanks for that SS. great human interest story about prayer working. I'll share a little. I was cleaning a lady's house and I was too sick to continue (long story) so I began to pray the best I could. DP, my guide said to "pray, believing." I spent a long time trying to believe I could have my healing. my eyes were closed but I heard my  employer kinda sneaking up on me to see if I was working maybe. she was sick too. I didn't know for sure if I was imagining her there listening to my prayer, but as she was sick also, I asked that both of us get healed. lol. two for the price of one. to make a long story short I got an instant healing and so did the lady and she sent me home early with pay, all bubbley and happy and spiriit filled were we both. I think she went in her bedroom and she must have joined me in a prayer state.  thanks again SS, love to hear stories when something "works" versus when it doesn't.
http://images.bravenet.com/common/images/smilies/pray.gif

Hi, Alysia and all,

I like this topic and I love listening to all of your stories.  I won't give a personal story although I will say that that prayers are ALWAYS answered, most often with renewed clarity and peace.  

Prayer for me is an opening of the heart.  To share.  I can open my heart to myself,  to nature, to God, to Jesus, to the great mysteries... to my joys, my griefs, my fears, my angers....to you...the list is endless.  Life is an endless source of prayer "without ceasing" as you say, Alysia.

I can sit before my prayer as if I sit before the ocean.  The ocean retreats to the source and returns to me over and over.  Each time there is a whisper or a roar or a laugh but never a silence.  It is always answered!

love, blink

Years ago, when my youngest daughter was barely 3 years old, she became really sick...and I will share this story with you. It was Easter and I had spoiled both my daughters with 'way too much' chocolate goodies.... :P........a few days later, my youngest started getting sick, tummy ache...flu like symptoms. I thought she had just eaten too much chocolate. But when these symptoms carried on into the 4th day and after I had taken all the chocolates away from her when she first started getting sick, I decided to take her to the doctor. Just to make sure that there wasn't something else going on...
The doctor agreed that she had too much chocolate, but he also figured she had a bit of a flu as well.....that time of the year. He also said that she was starting to show signs of dehydration...from the loss of body fluids...so he wanted to admitt her to the hospital to put her on an i.v drip to get her fluids back up....he said for 24 hours..then she could come home. She ended up in the hospital for several days....really bad flu. Once she was feeling better, they released her this one morning. For the better part of that day she was feeling really well....however, as the dinner hour was passing, she was showing signs of getting sick again....I gave her an early bath and planned to put her into bed earlier than normal.....after the bath...and about 7pm.....she sat on her bed while I put her pj's on and she looked absolutely awful....and, she seemed to look sicker as the seconds went by. This really scared me because she was getting worse so fast.....I thought that I would just wait acouple hours or so before running off to the hospital again.....after all, they did tell me that she only had the flu...and she had gotten better, otherwise they wouldn't have released her.
I barely got the pj's over her head, when she just let her little body crash to the bed and her head fell to the pillow....she was so weak that she couldn't keep herself up anymore.  She was asleep before her head actually got to the pillow. As I said, this scared me.....I put both my hands lightly on her back as she lay there...and I prayed and prayed my heart out for her. I prayed for many minutes...maybe 20. After about 10 minutes of praying....I felt my hands start to get warm and then hot....and hotter....and her skin on her back became very warm as well, if not hot.
After that 20 minutes of praying, I left her side and left her room... I was checking in on her every 10 minutes or so...her fever was back...her breathing was shallow....I was thinking that I better not wait to take her back to the hospital......not even an hour after she first laid her head on her pillow. I checked on her and found her fever completely gone.....she was cool and breathing normal....she woke up when I entered her room...and holy cow. She bounced up out of bed full of energy and healthy glow....and looking like she had never been sick at all! I had prayed only an hour earlier....and here she was.....she had a drink of water, went right back to sleep and then next morning she was as if she had never been a sick little girl. It was amazing.....and yes, prayer does work!  :)

Very cool story mystic. Thanks so much for sharing this with us.

Love, Mairlyn

You know, I really can't remember a time when my prayers weren't answered.  I would have to say that they were always answered in some way.  When I pray for money, of course God doesn't make me rich but I always given what i needed.

Sometimes it's as if God knew what I wanted before I even asked for it.

For example, one of my hardest and most stressful times in my life was when I got out of the military.   We ended up staying with my sister who lived in a little 2 bedroom house.  Actually, it was meant to be a one bedroom.  

Me and my wife were soooo stressed out--not only living in that litty bitty house but with the bills and stuff also.  

After about 5 months, we knew we needed to move out.  However, there were hardly any houses in the area that were up for rent and the ones that were were outrageously expensive.  Even the apartments in the area were like 700 to 800 a month minimum.  

At that time I took whatever job I could get which was at McDonalds and certainly couldn't afford anything like that on my salary.  

Anyway, I remember laying down in the bed of my truck one day--dozing off from all the stress, when I was suddenly awakened by my wife and she says, "guess what? I found a house; It's right around the corner."  At first I thought she was joking, but sure enough there was a perfect little house for us for rent which was only about 500 dollars a month.  

She told me that she had been praying for a house.  What was weird was that there was a mattress covering up the "For Rent" sign on the window the whole time.  I noticed that when we cleared everything, we noticed a whole lot of people stopping and looking in as if they were wondering how they had missed that house.  I guess houses were in big demand at that time--especially little cheap ones and especially in that area.  However, the deal was done and we had already signed the agreement.  

Of course we still had our tough times when we lived in that house.  We were very short on money.  I kept praying and praying for money.  My wife had mentioned that she had been having dreams that all this money was coming in.  I guess what was happening is that when I started school, I started getting all this money from the military and my student loans had already covered everything.  

I had no idea it was going to work out like that and it was my sister who pushed me into going to school even when I thought I couldn't afford it.  What caused her to push me--I don't know.  Anyway, I still have to pay those student loans back but it certainly bailed us out at the time.  

So here I am working at McDonalds.  However, I was having a really tough time dealing with customers.  I just wasn't use to them and was slowly breaking down.  I took everything home with me everynight.  I can't even begin to tell you how much stress I was under still.  

Anyway, I had been praying for God to release me from this place.  I went looking for other jobs and got calls from 4 of the 5 places that I had applied at.  These were decent paying jobs and not fast food either.  Anyway, I took a job at Tower Automotive, who gave me the job like right away and accepted that as a blessing.  

I guess I should start my prayers up again because I been sitting at home jobless for almost six months now.  I must have sent like 50 resumes out already and only got one phone call and one interview.  Although I was the creme of the crop at the one  interview that I got, the company all of a sudden decided that they couldn't hire anybody else cause their budget was too tight.  

I don't say much prayers anymore though unless it's for someone or I'm giving thanks.  After coming back home from Kuwait, I seem to be feeling really guilty and sellfish if I decide to ask for something.  I guess it has something to do with the stuff I've seen and experienced over there.  Some of the people that I've encountered down there were so humble and such hard workers.  You wouldn't even believe how some of our people treated them.  And they only get paid maybe two hundred bucks a month yet they're so happy--unbelievable.

Anyway here is another story I should get out before I go to bed.  This one is about a guardian Angel I suppose and really--I can go on and on.  

I must have been about 6 or 7 years old and this was during the time we lived in our haunted house.  My parents had left me at home by myself when this powerful thunderstorm came rolling in.  I was playing with my friends from across the street  at the time until they were called to go inside.  

I got to tell ya, I looked at my house and it was very very foreboding and I'll never forget it.  Well, I decided that I had to go in.  Actually, I had considered staying outside and weathering the storm.  There was more comfort in that than going in to that scary haunted house.  

Anyway, I went in and the storm came rolling in.  Suddenly all the power had cut off and I was just sitting on my couch scared out of my wits.  I mean I was frozen.  

All of a sudden I hear this knock at my door.  I had this very warm feeling come over me as I answered.  It was one of my friends two doors down.  He said his mom wanted to know if I wanted to go to their house to have dinner with them.  

Now this is a woman who I thought hated kids cause she never let anyone go into her house.  What still boggles me is how they knew I was even home, not to mention, home alone.  They weren't even home at the time when I was outside playing so how could they possibly know?  I really believe that I had someone or something watching over me that day.    

Ok well, goodnight everyone :)

SS..........I love your stories! I'm sure that you have heard of, if not read the poem, FOOTPRINTS. Whenever things in life get me down, I think of that poem and then hold faith that I will get thru the tough time.
I thought that your story about the guardian angel was awesome.
I don't know how many guardian angels we are supposed to have in our lifetime, but I had an encounter with one of mine a few years ago.
This encounter occurred in the early summer of 1997. I was living in this small town for over 12 years and could easily recognize the faces of all the locals in the area. At this time, I was working as a floral clerk at a big grocery store.
This particular day, I was at work...I was really feeling the burdens of my life that were dragging me waaaaaaaay down. My life seemed hopeless. I hated myself for the mess I had gotten myself into with respect to a bad marriage, my 2 kids were paying a huge price for it...there was huge domestic abuse problems including his drug and alcohol use....I was shut out from the world, from my family..from life....from everything...all because of this person I was married too....I was having to go to work with covered up bruises, lumps and bumps...and every penny that I made at my part time job, went into his pocket......'or else'. God, life was a living hell then...and this day, I was really feeling it.
Do you have any idea how much I prayed at that time for release from this hell? Holy!!! I think that I spent every second of my free mind time to praying for some help......mainly, to get me and my kids away from this maniac. Day and night...night and day....and in my sleep....I prayed.
It's all very strange in many ways, because also at this time, there were other things in my life that were starting to change...things were happening in a positive way that I could never have made happen....I was doing things and making changes for myself and my kids for the future, that I could never have mustered up the courage to do before...there were just so many things that were changing...and too many times I would say to someone: I don't know why I am doing this..but here I am.......or,  'It feels like someone is leading me by the hand'......
This day at work, I was outside on the front sidewalk area of this store, working with all the plants, flowers and other floral product out there. I would generally keep a good eye on people who were in my little area there...in case someone needed help, etc......I was doing something (can't remember what) and suddenly there was this little old lady standing next to me. I had no idea where she came from....she was just 'there' all of a sudden. I should have seen her walk into this area...there is nothing 'normal' to explain how she was able to get beside me without me noticing. But she managed it.
I heard this sweet, musical like voice say: 'Excuse me....."......and I looked up and there she was. I nearly jumped out of my skin....she startled me. And as I looked up to see who was there...and the second my eyes locked onto her....I was literally overwhelmed in this HUGE feeling of love. I cannot explain to you or anyone, the immense love that surrounded this person...the love that poured out from her...........AND......she sparkled. Not actual sparkles.....but, just an inside/outside sparkle. She glowed with this golden sparkle....like she had sunshine beaming out of her. Absolute beauty radiated from her...and her eyes, I couldn't believe her eyes...the prettiest blue eyes I have ever seen....and a color of blue that I don't recall ever seeing before....almost a silver, sparkly blue....She was petite....her voice like music....I know now, that she was not earthly..I didn't know it at the time...but it didn't take me long afterwards to get it figured out. I wasn't expecting any visit from guardian angels or anything or anyone. All I had been doing was crying and praying to God to help get me and my kids to safety.
At that first moment I looked at this lady, I was so overwhelmed with all that she radiated...it was only her and myself there.....strange coincidence actually, because this was at the height of plant bedding season. It was normally packed with people in there.
I just stared into her eyes.....then she continued to speak...her whole face was lit with love and joy and peace the entire time she spoke to me....this was just so unreal. She put her hand onto my arm as she started to speak....I will never forget what she said to me: "I just had to come to tell you that you are so beautiful. You are such a beautiful woman...you look like a barbie doll. Is everything ok with you dear? Is your life well? Are you happy?  I know you must have children...and let me tell you that they love you more than anything in their lives...And your husband? Does he love you?  Let me tell you not to worry dear because everything is going to work out for you. You will see...everything is going to be fine. You may not be happy now but you will be very happy soon. I just had to come over and tell you this. They say that when you say something nice to someone, that something even better comes to you...and so I came to you to tell you this"
Just let me tell you....she never stopped talking....I managed to get a few words in here and there, but, she just held my eye contact and kept talking.....The words that I did speak to her were lies...all lies....and I had this horrible feeling as I was telling her them...almost like she knew. And that I was lying to someone in the same light as Jesus himself....it was an awful guilty feeling. I told her that my life was great...that I was very happy and that my husband loved me. I guess that is why I was having such a hard time holding the tears back as I spoke these lies....because in reality, my life was a hell....and I was hurting bigtime inside.....and, all that I wanted in life was a happy loving home....and a good, loving man.
All that was going thru my head, was 'who is this lady....why is she talking to me like this..and how does she know so much about my life?'
This lady looked like she could be between the ages of 90 and 100.....she was old....but she wasn't. Does that make any sense? She was clearly and old woman....but she didn't look it...and I just don't know how to explain that!
I was nearly in tears as she spoke.....I was really having a time trying to keep myself from losing control...I don't know if she sensed that her words were really touching me or not..but she just carried on talking in a calm, soft and, musical voice.
I was just completely in shock over this.
As she was saying her final sentence to me, I turned my eyes downward and looked away from her....I was nearly crying and I just couldn't let that happen....especially in front of this lady who seemed so darn sweet, pure, sincere, godly, angelic.....all of it.
Not even a few seconds passed and I looked back up at her....but she wasn't there. My eyes popped. Now come on....I know she was just there and I know she didn't walk away...she couldn't have because I would have seen that.....even heard her footsteps.....so what kind of trick was my brain playing on me. I ran over to the main store doors and looked around...I saw her nowhere...I ran into to the customer service counter which was right at the door....looked in all directions...she was nowhere to be seen. I asked the girl at the counter if she had seen this person....no she hadn't.
What the heck?
I literally ran back out the doors and to each end of the sidewalk....she was nowhere...I scanned the entire parking lot...she was nowhere.
geeze...I thought that I was losing my mind....but I know she was there...that she had talked to me....and I could still feel the incredible impact that her words and her 'appearance' had on me.
How did she know all this personal stuff about me? Just how did she know? I had never seen her before in my life....this was too strange for me. I thought about this entire incident for the rest of that day....by the time I went home after work, I had resigned myself to the fact that she must have been an angel....
Nope....in this little town, I had never seen her before. But you know what? I did see her one more time....I guess it was nearly 2, maybe 3 weeks later.
It was Father's Day....that now 'ex' had come home drunk and wanted to go out for dinner to his favourite restaraunt. He wouldn't allow the girls to come with us....didn't matter to him that it was father's day and that they wanted to come too...as usual, it was his way OR  his way...
For one thing, I didn't want to go out with him in the condition that he was in...I was used to him being this way and I had learned quickly in our life together, that going into public with him while he was like this, was going to be an excruitiatingly humiliating experience.....because not only was he drunk, he was also being obnoxious, aggressive...and well, everything else that goes with it. I had no choice to go out with him that day...it was either go on my own 2 feet or go with him his way...and I knew that I didn't want that. All  could do the whole time, was to pray, yes pray, the entire time, that we could get thru this whole thing quickly and with the least amount of humilation etc as possible.
We get into this 'favourite' restaraunt of his.....he orders more booze....saki of all things, one of the worst booze related drinks for him to tolerate....and before you know it, he is creating awful scenes with me in this place.
Thankfully, for me....there was no one else in the place to eat at that time....no one else to hear him...no one else to see.....no one else to see what I was feeling, going thru.....how he was treating me.....ya right...so I thought. I got up to go use the washroom at one point.....and wouldn't you know it...there was someone else in the place....2 little old ladies sitting in a booth, only 2 spots away from us. Why I never saw them before, I do not know.....there hadn't even been a server attend their table. As I begin to walk past this table, this one little lady looks up at me....with a painfilled look in her eyes....and she just looked into my eyes as I walked by...never said a word to me....just let me walk by.....and it was this same lady that I was approached by at work only a few weeks earlier.
She had seen it and heard it all.....no more lies for me....and strangely enough....I knew that she already knew anyway.....I was only fooling myself back then.
I never saw her again tho....and things changed on a more dramatic note after that.....changing in very big ways.....within 6 months of that time, my kids and I were on our way to starting a new life...and a host of other great changes underway. Unbelieveable.
I still don't know what the purpose of her second visit to me was.....I do think that maybe she just wanted me to know that she knew all along that my life wasn't as I had portrayed it to her......that I didn't need to pretend anymore....and that she was there to help me get thru this and into safety.
And that is my experience with an angel!! I wish I could explain to you all how she looked, how she sounded, what she radiated.....but it is all just too unimaginable to the human mind to describe.....literally.
I know, she was not from this world.
;)

What a wonderful experience mystic. It makes me wonder how many times this happens to others and we don't recognize it as a being from Spirit.

So happy you got out of the abusive marriage. Sometimes it's so hard to leave. I didn't. But he died in 1987 and I was finally free and everything since then led to the point where I am now.

Bless You, Mairlyn ;-)

thank you guys for the angel stories...guides or angels. they do exist. reminds me..ahem...another story. when I was 18, I had my first "real" job in a dry cleaners. I never liked waiting on customers. the owner took care of the counter usually, telling jokes, making people feel welcome. I was painfully shy. one day I was left alone and I had to wait on somebody. I had several loads to hang up before they got wrinkled. I walked up to the counter grudgingly thinking, rats..I hate waiting on folk, I have no personality for one thing..I'm thinking these thoughts....there's this guy standing there with penetrating eyes. He was either an alien or an angel or a telepathy human. he said something like great day, huh? or something...I muttered or didn't answer. lol. I was such a freak. Next thing I know he spoke a few words which whipped through me, I can't remember what they were, but they were stern words which caused me to awaken to how I was treating people, essentially I knew he was right. it was like he pulled my soul out of me so I could be here now. I can't remember finding his clothes, and I can't remember taking his money..all I remember is being unable to tear my eyes off of his as he walked out the door I'm still staring at him hypnotized  thru the glass and he's laughing at me within his eyes and I'm just saying in my head thank you, thank you, thank you. it's like telepathy then, and I can hear him saying "all in a days work,  it was nothing really." it's like he believed in me, that I could do better, that I could believe in people too and pull their souls out of them.
love, alysia http://images.bravenet.com/common/images/smilies/duck.gif

Hi Mystic_Dreamer,

I'd have to say that I'd have to give you lots and lots of respect because my mother went through just about same thing.  

I don't think it came without a purpose though because it has taught me to love.  Everytime I think about the things my mother went through I get this deeper and deeper caring for her.

Love doesn't come easy.  I didn't discover it until I was about 14.  Before then I was a very stupid and cruel person.  It really hurts to think about those days.

 

Hey SS...thank you for a very nice comment that you made.
I'm sorry that my little story may have brought up some hurtful memories for you....really, I am.
You know...we all go thru different experiences in our lives, some worse than others.....and in all, there are things to be learned from these things that happen in our lives. You learned 'love' from what you went thru......and love is a great thing. You said that prior to all that, you were cruel and nasty.....but now you have learned love. See?? It's not a great way to have to learn something, but I don't think that we are ever really given a choice as to how we are to learn what we need to learn.
I know I learned many things from those years...however, I am not so sure that I learned what I was supposed to...because in the end of it all, I was literally bailed out by yet another heavenly force...which I have talked about here in another thread.....
I don't know, I guess I am a slow learner!! Oh dear...I am only 44 and so I guess there is more than enough time for me to learn still....lol
I do know that prayer was my best friend during those times...and I had several visits from guardian angels...helpers, etc...to help me thru those days..
I think that I might have some idea, if only a small idea, of how you must feel about those past days of your life. I have 2 daughters now who are both in their early 20's....the oldest one who is 24 now, suffered the worst of the 2......she was my daughter from a previous relationship..and therefore, he used her for the brunt of his anger and all......I see how she is to this day and there is alot of buried emotion and pain in her heart....and it affects her in every part of her life. I have talked to her about this and have tried to encourage her to try somehow to deal with all her buried feelings...but she can't do it. And she won't be able to do so until she feels she is ready..and only she will know when that time comes.
It is way too difficult, if not impossible, to move forward in life and in your spirituality when you have so much of your spirit buried so deep inside.
Hey...I really don't know what it is that I am trying to say to you......but you know, pray, pray, pray for help and understanding...pray for release of your anger and saddness.....and when you start to hear and feel answers coming to your prayers, don't deny the answers that you get...follow your heart and listen to what is coming to you. Believe me, you will begin to feel so much better in time.....and then in good time, you will be able to think back to those years and not feel the saddness that you do now. You may even feel forgiveness. And as crazy as it sounds, forgiveness is really a good thing. It will release you from all those bad feelings.
What a relief you will feel! You will start to see and experience life in ways that you never dreamed of. You will even feel good about all those years...how? Because you will be able to see all the true meanings in everything that happened...and how they made you the person that you are today.
Gee....I think I am babbling now.... ;D...so I think I will stop for the night!!
I wish you all the best SS......I hope that I helped somehow...... ;)

wrote on Jun 27^th, 2005 at 3:41pm:

Hi Alysia, Since I got that tag line, my prayers have changed to thanking for what it is I'm praying for, already accomplished, already done. It makes a big difference in my 'feelings' of praying too. ;-) Love, Mairlyn

hi again Mair. I was thinking a little on this giving gratitude thing before the prayer has been answered. a long time ago I read a little booklet..called Gratitude by I think a guy name of Goldsmith. he said it was scientific to give gratitude.  that it's like creating what it is you want by experiencing what it would "feel" like to actually have it. wow. I didn't really understand but I knew there was something to what he said because feeling gratitude is similar to feeling love moving around inside of you. joy too. a feeling not many you meet have a zest for living if y'all know what I'm getting at. sometimes this is sad, until they might say to you that they feel good around you, then you see how we influence each other. then in the 80's I read ACIM and it said the journey was done. so I put 2 and 2 together and started to get a feeling that it was a done deal after all. I looked around and started considering the affirmation I had everything I needed to be happy so there was nothing to pray for. it was just a feeling of well being I had wanted all along and of course, the biggee was what I had always wanted was to have peace of mind. consistently, and no matter what was going on around me. I know you understand me Mairlyn and I'm not telling you anything new. I can sense your awareness and it's great to be here now and to understand your tag. it is something I've been wanting to say since I read it. amazing to consider emotions as a scientific study of how to create reality. hmmm. wow. I'm off on another tangent. lol. http://images.bravenet.com/common/images/smilies/grouphug.gif

Alysia, your thoughts bring up thoughts in me of when I was suffering through the abuse from my husband. I used to pray and pray and pray until I was blue in the face. I remember reading "The Power of Positive Thinking". I remember sending money to Oral Roberts (he was big on TV then) for prayers to be answered. Nothing worked, nothing helped. Now I'm wondering if I had prayed seeing my life as happy and fulfilling and full of love from my husband, if that would have 'done it.' Perhaps this did happen in an alternate reality and things turned out differently.

Thanks for going off on a tangent. LOL

Love You, Mairlyn ;-)

Hi Mystic,

Don't be sorry.  I'm glad for who I am.  Sometimes when I look at some people who have been spoiled their whole lives I think man, I'm glad I'm not that person.

Here's a simple concept that keeps me going:

I have two boys 7 and 10.  Sometimes I think that they are so darn spoiled I just want to march into their rooms throw everything away and take everything away from them.  It's hard to get them to see the bigger picture and money doesn't grow on trees and life is not all about candy.  It seems paradoxial that I want to take everything away from them yet I want them to have everything that they don't even know.  

However, at the rate they're going they are going to end up with rotten teeth and living at home for the rest of their lives without ever knowing what is out there and the kinds of things that you can experience.  I know it is necessary to take things away from them to get them to see the bigger picture.  It's really hard to explain to them though that if they quit worrying about candy and just playing video games and focus on the bigger picture that they would get so much more enjoyment and satisfaction later on in life.

Something dawned on me though that made me feel as if I were a hypocrite.  Here I am teaching them something that I myself was not even following. Here I am wanting everything now and not seeing the bigger picture.

I guess what I'm saying is that sometimes it's necessary for us to go through those things and get things taken away from us so that we would also see the bigger picture and prepare for what's really ahead.

Thanks for starting this topic, it is one of my favorite things to talk about!  I have several stories but here are a couple.

I have diabetes, and one evening a few years ago I was out of my lancets.  We were broke as usual and I really needed to fill my prescription but I knew I couldn't pay for it.  We needed a lot of things and this was just one of them.  I was heading out the door on my way to work that evening when I just started crying and asking God, "What am I going to do?  I need those lancets!"  I cried all the way to work and when I go there a half hour later I hoped no one would be able to tell I had been crying.  When I walked into the office and sat at my desk I couldn't believe what I saw.  There were boxes and bags of lancets on my desk.  The other lady who worked with me started her shifts at 4:00, and I didn't start my shifts until 6:00.  She saw I was shocked and she said that she had gone through some things at home she didn't need anymore and she thought I could use the lancets.  (She has borderline diabetes and was part of a diabetic study and always got tons of free supplies but never used them).  She said she brought them with her to work that afternoon hoping I could use them.  What amazed me was that I did my crying and praying at 5:30 but she had brought those lancets in by 4:00.  I just sat there stunned and told her my story about how I needed lancets and now I had a year's worth right in front of me.  We were both overjoyed with what just happened to us.  

Then there was the time my son was 3 and very, very ill.  He had a fever and was achy and crying all day long, and I mean all day.  He just lied on the couch all day and wouldn't move, he complained, he whined, and he was almost delirious.  It was just a typical illness, not something that needed dire medical attention, but by that night I was simply exhausted.  My son was a baby who talked early on, and I'm not kidding...he said his first words at 6 months old and has never stopped talking since.  But because of his fever that day he didn't make any sense at all.  He tried to talk to me but I couldn't understand him at all.  He was just so out of it and it drained and exhausted me.  So by about 10:00 pm I moved him from the couch to his own bed, but I knew that we were in for a rough night.  All I wanted was to get some rest that night because I knew tomorrow would be more of the same.  I plopped down on the couch and prayed, "God, can you please send an angel in to watch over him tonight, to just make sure he is okay, and to give him a kiss, just so I can get some rest myself?"  He fell asleep but my husband and I stayed up a while longer just to make sure he would stay asleep.  Some time later, not too long after, he woke up yelling for me.  His voice was very clear, he wasn't delirious at all.  He sounded perfectly fine except for the urgency in his voice.  I went running in to him and asked what was wrong.  He seemed fine, a great improvement already and I was happy but I knew he had only been sleeping less than an hour and I hadn't even gone to bed yet myself.  He was talking so fast, "Mama, who was in my room?  Who was just here in my room?"  I told him no one was.  He insisted someone was in there and he asked if it was maybe the cat.  I told him that he knows I didn't allow the cat to sleep in his room, and since the door was closed I assured him that no one, not even the cat, could have come in.  He persisted, "Mama, someone was just in here!"  I asked him, "Why, honey, what happened?  How do you know?"  He said, "Someone was just in here and they woke me up.  They touched me. I thought I saw them but they were gone."  I told him it was just a dream, but he kept on insisting.   So I asked him where he was touched, and he said, "Right here, mama.  They touched me right here".  And his little finger was pointing to the middle of his forehead.  I started laughing and couldn't stop because I had just at that point remembered my prayer asking for an angel to check on my son and to give him a kiss!  My son asked why I was laughing and I told him, "Honey, don't worry.  That was just an angel giving you a kiss goodnight!"  He was relieved, accepted that answer, and promptly fell back down to sleep and slept the whole night.   I got my sleep that night and he was fine by morning.  My son is 9 now and he loves it every time I tell him this story.  

Vicky

thanks Vicky, I love the angel visit story because that's how I think of retrievers also..we always have to ask, don't we? I mean before a healing. you asked for your child's healing in a sincere loving way and I'm touched by your story. sometimes it seems easier to heal others than our own selves but I'm working on that angle too. this is gonna be a major roadsign for your boy throughout life and it happened at only age 3. I'm amazed you say he spoke his first words at 6 months, that is incredible; means he is going to be a huge communicator type person...simply love that amazing talent although I'm sure you have your hands full! he is appearing as very special to me.

the being touched on the forehead reminds me of a similar story with my daughter; I'm convinced the chakra there is very important to receive energy through, healing energy either by angel or human healing capacity....one time my daughter age 10 at the time complained of a headach, might have been in the forehead area...I told her to visualize a green color coming into that area, taking away pain, but she had her own ideas...lol....pretty soon she said "mommy! I was just sitting here thinking about it and a little door opened in my forehead and I heard a little sound and the pain went away!" ha ha! one wouldn't think it would be that easy, lol. but it worked. of course, right away I begin seeing her as a spiritual giant...she's not, she's an ordinary sweetheart girl/woman now. but at least the kids have these experiences, they can always return to them to re-experience healing if needed. love, alysia http://images.bravenet.com/common/images/smilies/highfive.gif

Thanks Alysia!  

As I look back on that experience with my son, I realize I didn't ask for healing for him, just for help watching over him.  I wanted him to be okay and I didn't want to feel guilty for wanting to get a good night's sleep myself.  Asking for the kiss was just an extra measure.  I am a hugger and a kisser myself, so I guess I just added that in because of how I am.  But honestly, he must have gotten healed that night because of the complete turnaround in his demeanor.  So I was wonderfully surprised by that.  I picture it like this, when I sit on the edge of his bed and lean over to kiss him, it would be on the forehead.  So I found it remarkable when he pointed to his forehead and said that is where he was touched.  It just made perfect sense.  

And yes, he honestly did talk at 6 months.  But our daughter didn't talk until she was nearly 3 years old!!  We thought for sure something was wrong with her, but our doctor said you can't compare kids, they are all different.  My son has had psychic experiences like ESP and visions too.  He is very sensitive and conscientious, and very loving.  He goes through bouts where he hears voices at night, so we have to leave a tv in his room so he can fall asleep to that.  Because of who I am and all of my paranormal experiences, I am glad that I can be there for my son to support him through his experiences.  I didn't receive any support or encouragement when I was growing up.  Everyone just thought I was weird or making it up.  

About your daughter, that's neat about her headache.  Kids are so receptive to that sort of thing.  I vaguely remember reading somewhere, where that clicking thing is called the amygdala or something like that.  I'll have to research it to remember what I read about it, have you ever heard of it?
I remember doing healing techniques on myself when I was a kid, but as an adult I don't really do it anymore.  I do try to focus more on sending healing to others.  I really want to learn more about how to do that. Vicky

Hi Vicky..I realize you didn't exactly ask for healing, but in my way of thinking, asking that someone be watched over is a type of prayer  from your heart involving an unselfish thought. from my personal experience, something this unselfish in regards to prayer has always worked. just speculating here further and desire comment but there seems to be two types of answered prayer; 1) intense wish or curiosity (intense only, lol) 2) compassion for another, or desire for a win-win to manifest. hmmm. wait, theres one more: the straw that broke the camels back prayer, where you are throwing up your hands or too weary to ask anymore what's right..then something seems to always happen in a good way too. I think that's what happened to you..you got so weary, maybe you didn't know what to do and nothing was working. prayer can be like a last resort sort of thing. maybe though, that's why it works and thats when the help can finally come in. I see the kiss on the forehead was because you were participating in the healing and we need to know we can participate, I mean, we have to! it would seem healing others acts to heal ourselves in truth. a beautiful heartwarming story you have given us. love, alysia

Thanks very much for your kind words Alysia.  I agree, the way it seems to work is through intense emotion, need, and desire.  

That got me thinking...how should we react when we have prayed our heart out for something that didn't happen?  Was it just not meant to be?  Was what we wanted a little too selfish?  Was it not the best outcome for all involved?  There are so many ways to look at it, but after disappointment like that you are left feeling like you failed somehow.  Then you have to remind yourself that you can't be in control of everything and some things are just out of your hands.  Somehow there is a balance, or maybe there is just more to the formula that we don't know about yet.  What are your thoughts?

Hi Vicky,

Just jumping in here for second, sorry.  Yes, that's when we are being asked to stand strong, to be patient, to wait and to accept.  Acceptance then is for our growth.  But never to say that we should not desire, should not beg or plead for what we need.  All emotion and outpouring is cathartic and releases us.  

Recently I prayed for my father to be free of cancer or tb, after a doctor claimed it must be one or the other.  I was literally crying and begging.  My prayer was answered.  His test returned inexplicably clear.  

However, I know I must be prepared for the day in which my prayer is not answered as I wish.  When so, it will be for his highest good.  That is what is required by faith.  We hope, we pray, we believe.

What is true will be revealed to us.

love, blink

Blink said what I wanted to say but we all have our own words more or less saying the same thing about prayer. I'd like to see what Mairlyn says too as she mentioned prayers not being answered..there must be struggle in there somewhere that she might be able to shed light on. the serenity prayer used to be one of my favorites..basically I just took a few things from it that pertained to me..it said to respect your occupation, as to even have an occupation was a sort of blessing...lol...the reason I needed to hear that, my occupation at the time was mother, and a person who throws newspapers unto people's yards, aiming for the porch as you drive by in a Honda Civic whose carb needed adjusting every other day due to the wear and tear. nobody got respect for being a mother, for sure, but I think society has to change their mind about this most spiritual service of parenting. cross your fingers. I learned to respect my job anyway and not think less of myself for it, soon learning to hit the porch and take pride in the small things of life. musical aspirations were in there somewhere and led to a divorce appearance wise, but not in truth. don't mean to ramble. the other part of the serenity prayer is pertinent to this thread, in line with Blink's comment about acceptance. it said to change what you could, but accept the things you could not change for some reason. would be pleased someone here to bring the exact words to me.... ;D  however Vicky, personally, when I stopped putting messages under a candle, lol, that's a prop really, but not knocking it, just never known anything instant to materialize that way for me. here lately, the acceptance thing in the last 5 years or so becomes the issue to mellow out a fire sign child a bit. I just had to admit I didn't know what was best in any situation I was dealing with concerning others in my orbit. that's a real blow to the ego if u know what I mean. for example, it's back to the serenity thing about appreciating your humble occupation: I buy homes and fix them up and resale them; I used to get a fixation on the person "I" wanted to own my house, for the reason that was my own creation. I can be stubborn. Life came along and showed me there is a destiny for each of us, and that we really cannot know what person would show up, but that it would be the right person, for that town, for that particular neighborhood, to enjoy what you have created for them. the extent of my powers was just to believe the right person would show up and it would be perfect for them. somehow their whole life which I did not know about would somehow have led them to cross my path for this business transaction, but behind the scenes of my awareness all sorts of things were happening and I was to accept the surprises as they came along. sometimes I would dream about them, then when they showed up, I'd know it was the right person. this kind of dreaming believe it or not saves a person a lot of uncertainty and snags and trouble as well as time; not bragging, just pointing out what acceptance can produce for all of us; acceptance, that surely the universe is unfolding right on schedule without a lot of gyrations and manipulations on my part, lol, my guides often would have to tell me to shut up and listen.
blessings, love and light, alysia http://images.bravenet.com/common/images/smilies/grouphug.gif

I believe it is "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference".

One of my favorite poems too.  

Thank you Alysia for that reminder, and thanks to Blink for the reminder that we should not give up our desire and emotions.  We can't always know the whole picture, and that is what makes it hard when things don't go how we would like it to.  We don't always get to know the "why" of it.