“We all are called.  Everybody has a calling, and your real job in life is to figure out what that is and get about the business of doing it,” related Oprah Winfrey.  During the time of Oprah’s career, we have witnessed the amazing rewards life has to offer when an individual successfully follows his or her life’s purpose.  While Oprah was obeying her spiritual guidance, I stubbornly chose not to.  Ignoring my signs, blocking out my messages, and avoiding my calling from a higher power, I discredited all my messages and did what I wanted to do-most of the time, just to be the center of attention or to catch a buzz.  Do you instinctively know your spiritual messages when they appear?

In 2002 when my family and I gathered around my mother’s hospital bed, we sobbed at the sight of her gasping for life, knowing this was it.  When the main artery in her groin burst, her blood rushed out like a river’s dam breaking loose.  The stench of gangrene rippled through the room, reminding us that mom’s flesh was being eaten alive.  At the same time, a staph infection was taking over her veins, dominating the space where the blood once ran.  My mother lost her life that November Sunday, at the young age of 62.  It was heart breaking not only to watch mom die but also to know that Mom was irresponsible in her choices to not take better care of herself.

Consequently, I had an awakening that day, standing alongside Mom’s hospital bed; I realized it is my responsibility to take care of myself: mentally, physically and spiritually through the means of exploring and discovering who I am.  The way I see it, I have two choices; I can chose my spiritual journey and live my life’s purpose or be sick and die.  Today, I search for that inner strength from my higher power to guide me, to lead me through the tough times and celebrate the good times.  I now pay attention to my spiritual messages, and most importantly, I trust them.

I was filled with a lot of guilt for not living life on the higher power’s terms, but it is never too late and I realize that I am not alone.  Betty Eadie, shares in her second book, The Awakening Heart, “…[A] full understanding of my awakening eluded me for years.  This knowledge often came to me at the most unusual times and in the most unusual ways … as a sound, a movement, a dream, a vision or a craving for food that I did not recall ever experiencing.”  It took my slowing down before I learned not to say “No” to my inner voice.  Today I listen, trust and attempt (not always, but I try) to apply the message within me.

 I assure you no alcoholic buzz, no marijuana high, nor a titillating sexual encounter has come close to the amazing spiritual trip I have come to discover.  I invite you to come along with me on this new spiritual-based journey, and let us learn together how to identify messages, trust our spiritual paths, and appreciate change, gracefully.