When Was the Last Time You Were Moved to Tears?

Today I saw one of the most incredible things I've seen in a long time. Susan Boyle, a woman in Britain, auditioned for the British version of American Idol in "Britains Got Talent."

Susan is a 47 year old woman, who has never even been kissed. She lives in a village in Britain and she sings. She's frankly plain, with some extra weight, and bushy eyebrows. Before she went on stage, she told the camera crew: "I've always wanted to perform in front of a large audience. I'm going to make that audience rock!" At this point, I'm sure people were thinking "Yeah, right! Good luck, sweetie!"

When she walked out onto the stage, the audience laughed at her, and laughed at her answers to Simon Cowell's questions. Even Simon rolled his eyes. Still, she seemed unfazed. He asked her what her dream was. She said to be a professional singer. The audience groaned.

But then she opened her mouth to sing. The audience and the judges went from disbelief to fan in less than 3 seconds! It was the most incredible transformation I have ever seen in my life.

From freak to goddess in 3 seconds.

Her choice of song: "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables.

The audience rose to their feet midway through the song and stayed there the rest of the song, clapping and cheering. A standing ovation.

I was sobbing at the beauty of it all. Susan Boyle glowed when she sang. She held the audience in her hand. This woman, who was really very plain, and rather awkward, was amazing.

She was sharing her gift with the world, without fear, without any of the inner conversation of "I can't" or "I'm too old" or "I'm not pretty enough." None of that. She came. She sang. She conquered.

Truly one of the most stunning things I've seen in my life. Susan Boyle is my heroine. May I have the courage to share my own magnificence with the world, even when the world laughs at me.

Thank you, Susan, for your courage, for your integrity, and for your incredible beauty!

To see this video for yourself please go to: http://www.popeater.com/television/article/susan-boyles-britains-got-talent/426649?icid=mainmaindl2link3http%3A%2F%2Fwww.popeater.com%2Ftelevision%2Farticle%2Fsusan-boyles-britains-got-talent%2F426649

Loving Your Inner Diva...

Today, I read a lovely blog by a woman named Judy. It's entitled Your Inner Diva is a Law of Attraction Magnet! and can be found at http://dreamandflourish.com/2008/12/30/your-inner-diva-is-a-law-of-attraction-magnet/. I am also cutting and pasting it here, for ease in reading. I absolutely love her style and her philosophy! I think you will, too.


I’ve recently come to realize that accepting your inner Diva is a powerful tool in creating your life. Ha! I imagine that those of you who are tapped into your “outer” Diva understand this already. Thanks ahead of time for your patience! Still, there is so much misinformation about Divas, that I imagine that most of us can expand our love for our Diva.

A friend of mine describes a Diva as someone who:“Knows what they want, and has the sense of self worth to receive it.”

Nothing too complicated about that, is it? This definition certainly lines up with the Law of Attraction. Knowing what you want helps attract it into your life, yes? And, of course, each of us is also super worthy of a fabulously abundant life.

I also love that Divas understand that being “worth it” also requires some extra attention. Divas know that investing in their self, whether in hygiene, dress, eating well, or going to the spa, keeps them feeling good, present, and capable. Putting belief into feel good action is a mighty powerful way to create your world!!

Divas will also tell you what they want. Hello! Communicating your desires is still one of the easiest ways of getting your needs met. Clarity, is simply, a direct channel to the Universe!

Finally, I enjoy how completely different each of our Divas must be. Even in a room of thousands who are following these same principles, each will present a unique Diva. I LOVE this!

Are you with me? Can you see how your Diva-ness is a fun way to tap into the Law of Attraction? I hope so!

Ok, true confession time. My Diva definitely knows what she wants, and is claiming how much she deserves it!

For starters, my Diva loves:

Fun, mischief, and laughing loudly
Fine feeling fabrics, like silk, velvet, and cashmere in bright, lively colors
A really good pedicure
Spa days, and bubble baths with LOTS of bubbles
Fabulous food that was thoughtfully and creatively prepared with fresh, quality ingredients
Dancing in a crowd of sexy women
Surprises
Hosting friends , in my home for dinners, parties, and games
Inspiring others to enjoy their fabulous life!
Treating everyone as being central to things running smoothly.
Sharing the love with others like Ellie & everyone that contributes to the Law of Attraction Carnival!
How about you? What does YOUR inner Diva love?


(Anne again) Can we say AMEN! to that? Thank you, Judy, for giving such beautiful words to what's inside each woman.

Hugs. Now go give YOUR inner Diva some love!

Don't Worry ... Be Happy!

I worry. It's true. I do. I learned this useless skill as a child, and I have practiced it until it has become a way of being at times. I'm rather good at it. And I recognize that it is not only not useful, but that it is a detriment to creating what I want to create in my life.

Sometimes, when I go to bed at night and I have a hard time falling asleep, I find my mind thinking thoughts that it has no logical reason to think. When I catch myself doing it, I can usually say "Stop it, Anne! Look at what you're doing. Think something happier!" But sometimes it takes me a while to realize that I'm doing it. I'm having conversations in my head with someone I am upset with, or I am creating scenarios I really don't want to experience!

It's not pretty, and it's not much fun.

In "The Secret," we are reminded that everything we think has energy or vibration, and when we add feelings to what we think, we give those thoughts power. Both fear and joy have power. Now fortunately, we live in a physical world where we do not experience instant manifestation - where if we were to think of an elephant then suddenly the elephant stands before us. Rather, we have time between the thought and the manifestation of that thought - for the most part.

For me, I am really grateful for that, because I really don't want everything I think to be manifested immediately.

Although there are times...

So, what is worry?

Well, like I said, for me, it is a practiced way of being - at times. And I am grateful for the "at times" part of that sentence. I used to worry far more than I do now. This is a good thing. It is a good thing that I used to worry about a lot more things, with more intensity, and with far more frequency than I do now.

Since studying the Law of Attraction, I now realize that the reason my life is so much better than it used to be is that I have really worked hard on nipping the worry habit in the bud. You see, when I used to worry more (and let's add complain more into that mix, shall we?), I used to be creating with the very energy I am now using to create joy and abundance and love with.

Peter Williams wrote a book entitled "You Can't Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought." He was right! We can't. Because those thoughts have power. They have energy, and they have their very own life force, which, if practiced frequently and often enough and with enough intensity, can wreak some real havoc in our lives.

Ok, so while I get that in my head, the issue I have is how to apply that in my life?

Abraham of Abraham-Hicks fame says we are "sloppy thinkers." I think they are right. I know I am. And while I have really worked on cleaning up my way of thinking, I still get seduced by worry and fear.

I remember Wayne Dyer using this example in one of his talks. He said "Think of something that upsets you, like a beautiful animal that has just been hit by the side of the road. It is laying there, bleeding and dying, in pain."

And then he said "Now think of something that brings you joy and delight, like the smile of your child when they were a baby, or a beautiful garden, or your beloved pet doing something funny."

See how easy it is to think of upsetting - and happy - thoughts? Just choose.

Jesus said "Choose ye this day whom ye shall serve: love or fear." It's the same thing. And this wisdom and advice has been handed down for centuries for a very good reason. It works! Just choose.

So the more I choose joyful, happy thoughts, the more I feel joyful and happy. And the more I feel joyful and happy, the more joyful and happy experiences show up in my life.

It really is that simple.

I didn't say it was easy.

Regardless of its ease or simplicity, I am a living example of the power of choice in choosing happy over sad, of choosing love over fear, of choosing joy over worry.

Well, usually.

I still have some work to do. But what else am I here for except to learn this and to be it (which, by the way, equals sharing it)?

Don't worry ... Be happy!

Oh, That Was Just Beautiful!

I sing. Some say I sing very well. Sometimes I think I sing very well. Sometimes I think I sound horrible. Some who have heard me sing might be surprised at this. But it's not because I always sing so beautifully, but rather because when they have heard me sing, I have practiced and practiced and my voice is warmed up and I am ready to actually perform the song, therefore my voice sounds good.

When I haven't sung for some time, however, I can hear how my breath is shorter than usual (meaning I can't hold the note as long as I can when my voice is more elastic and warmed up), how the note isn't quite on fully, especially in faster movements of the song, or how I just can't quite get that high note, and the notes themselves sometimes just don't have the purity of sound they have when my voice is warmer. And each time I get in that place, I have a little bit of panic inside. "Oh, no, what if this is all I can ever do from now on?" The anxious conversations begin to get activated inside. Beautiful? Not even close.

Then I practice and it begins to sound better. Whew.

Most times I sing, I sing at churches. Most recently, Francisco and I had been attending a Unity church in Hollywood, Florida, and for a little while, I sang somewhat frequently (about once every couple of months). Then it stretched to six months. Not enough for me. A singer needs someone to sing to, doncha know.

Odd, it seemed to me, that I wasn't doing more. Except that I understood the concept that diverse music is being offered to the church. I'm not terribly diverse; I have my style, my loves of form and method of singing, and I like to stick to it. I'm not a jazz singer, nor am I a gospel singer. I like slower, gentle, loving songs - songs with feeling and quiet, sacred heart. Songs like "The Lord's Prayer," and "Here I Am, Lord," and "You'll Never Walk Alone." And that can sound like one-note-Johnny after a while. I understand.

Before moving to Florida, Francisco and I lived in Charlottesville, Virginia. We were attending a lovely Presbyterian church, and both of us sang in the choir. I sang lots of solos there. People always were saying how wonderful it was; how beautifully I sang. (Sometimes I would wonder if they were just being nice, especially if I had heard some notes go flat or sharp.) Nonetheless, I love to sing and people kept encouraging me, so I kept singing.

Since moving here, we've been searching for a church. Like I said, for a while, we attended the Unity church. And it was lovely. The people are delightful. But we've been a little split between the Unity church and another lovely Presbyterian church we discovered, and so we are now connecting to the First Presbyterian Church in Hollywood.

It's nice to connect in different places.

This brings me back to singing. The Presbyterian church has more of the kinds of songs I like to sing. I love singing from a hymnal, and I love the types of solos I have heard. "Pie Jesu" was just beautiful, as was "He Shall Feed His Flock" from the Messiah at Christmas. The choir is lovely and active and sings beautiful classical songs. This gives me hope that I can sing frequently again and offer my voice, my heart, my soul. Musically, it feels like a fit.

And this brings me back to the other night. I was fixing dinner and decided to sing. It's one of my favorite times to sing, when I'm working in the kitchen. I was singing along with "Memories," from the Broadway play, "Cats," and as I finished the song, I could hear the ducks outside quacking.

Let me fill you in. We live on a lake. It is small and man-made, but it is a lake nonetheless. And at this lake live numerous fishing birds and ducks and turtles. Francisco and I delight in watching and feeding the ducks and the birds (not the fishing birds, other birds like Blue Jays, and the wonderful noisy Parrots) every day. Last year, one of the ducks had 10 ducklings, all of whom survived. As they grew, they got used to my voice, because I talk to them when I feed them. And they talk to me. So, imagine my surprise when I heard them quacking as I finished singing. (It's January, so my windows are open, wide open!)

I felt like St. Francis who gave his sermons to the birds!

It was the most delightful experience. I could almost hear them saying, "Oh, that was beautiful, do more!"

This makes me think that even though I didn't think it soundeds so great, maybe they heard something else. Maybe they heard the heart behind the song, the love and the passion. Maybe they heard me.

And maybe that's what people hear when I sing: my truth, my heart, my love, my connection to God. And maybe that's what they're talking about when they say "Oh, that was just beautiful!"

How is Your Ministry Going?

This morning, I received an email from a young woman who is finishing her second year of seminary. She will be ordained at St. John of the Divine church in New York City, on a beautiful June day this year. I was ordained at St. John of the Divine church in New York City, on a beautiful, very hot, June day last year, from the same seminary. She asked me: "how's your ministry going?"

Now this is a frequent question that I receive, and one that many of my fellow graduates have received since being ordained. And many of us have a similar answer: "Uh, well, good, and well, uh, hmmm..." The reason for this rather unclear answer is that most of us are still figuring out what the heck we're doing being ministers.

We felt called. We answered the call. We spent two years exploring the world's major religions, and learning how to create rituals, perform ceremonies, and give sermons. We learned how to experience the energies of celebrations and times of challenges, and how to become ministers. How to speak like a minister. How to be a minister.

The ordination was magical. After an intimate, and deeply moving, retreat, our tightly-knit group of eager seminarians met up with family members for a weekend in New York.

Sunday was our big day. My husband flew from Ft. Lauderdale to be with me. My mother flew in from Oregon to see me ordained. My daughter and her fiance rode the train from Baltimore to be there. My brother and nephew came from Pennsylvania. My dear friend came from Charlottesville. It was affirming, and rich and powerful.

Samora and I sang "The Prayer." Kate sang another beautiful song. Sharon gave the class a voice with her profound speech. We sweated. We celebrated. We cried. And we were ordained.

Then it was all over. We went our separate ways. My study group (nicknamed "The Fertile Ones") stayed together online. We are a diverse group: Jewish, Voodoo, Shaman, Buddhist, Pagan, and Christian - of several faiths including New Thought, Presbyterian and Catholic - and yet all Interfaith. The group continued to meet weekly. We discussed what this meant to be a minister.

One by one, we have found our way. One started Peace House, an interfaith meeting place dedicated to peace. One became an associate minister at her Unity Church. One was a pastor at his community church. One officiated weddings of gay and lesbian friends. One continued his training in his faith and became a priest. Others discovered their ministry is in the offering of themselves to those around them in whatever form is needed.

The question remains "How's your ministry going?"

For me, the answer has been muddled. My vision has been muddled. But it's clearing.

I had the opportunity to give the sermon at the Unity church I attend, and loved it. (Thank you, Rev. Frank!) I'm going to do more! I sing, and I also offer workshops on EFT (and have done a number of them also at Unity as well as other places). I am creating some amazing affirmation CDs, combining affirmations and EFT (a wonderful acupressure technique), and have discovered that this is part of my ministry. (Those who have test-driven my abundance CD have had some powerful financial breakthroughs as a result!) I tried out being a chaplain at a hospital and discovered I did not like that at all. And I officiated at some weddings and found I loved it.

So: how's my ministry going? "Well, uh, good. It's coming." (Basically, this means I'm figuring it out as I go along.) I do feel strongly that where I am right now is not where I'll be in 2 years, or 5 years. No question about that. And that's good news. Where I am is just fine. But where I'm going? Ooohhh, baby! Just you wait!