The Spiritual Awakening I Could Never Have Predicted + How It Changed My Life

Almost every morning for at least the past 40 years, I have taken a brisk walk up and down the hills near my house with my dogs. During this walk, I pray, then I do my Inner Bonding process out loud. That includes having a dialogue with my spiritual guidance.

One morning a few months ago, while dialoguing with my wonderful guidance, she (I refer to my spiritual guidance as a she) did something I've never experienced before. She suddenly downloaded into me a MUCH deeper understanding of gratitude, faith, and presence than I had ever previously experienced. For me, it was a moment of profound grace—a great gift that comes unexpectedly from spirit when we are ready for it.

Suddenly I felt a much deeper sense of gratitude than I'd ever felt before. Suddenly, I felt totally present and in profound faith that I was being guided in my highest good every moment of my life. Suddenly, I was filled with pure joy.

Since that moment of grace, life has been extremely different for me. I'm in moment-by-moment gratitude for my life, for the beauty of nature, for my health, my work, my family, my friends, my home, my animals. I seem to find so much to be grateful for. My faith and my ability to stay present have sky-rocketed. I almost always have a smile on my face. So many things strike me as funny, and I often roar with laughter.

My creativity has greatly expanded. I've always been a painter and a potter, but lately my paintings and pots are so different, so expanded, so … well, creative! What a joy to have my creativity just flow out of me.

I feel more connected to myself, to nature, to my guidance, my clients, my relationships, and my animals.

Having eaten organic for 55 years, I've been mostly blessed with excellent health, but suddenly, at 77, my health, vitality, and energy are outrageously expanded. And I sleep like a baby most nights.

The joy I felt at the moment of that download hasn't dimmed at all. I feel incredibly blessed to experience every moment.

I know this moment of grace that changed my life so dramatically didn't just happen out of the blue. I've always been a seeker and a learner, and loving myself and sharing my love with others has always been my guiding light. I've stayed steadfast in my learning and healing through very challenging times.

I encourage you to stay steadfast on your learning and healing path—emotionally, physically, and spiritually. I encourage you to make loving yourself and others, and learning how to take responsibility for your own feelings, your highest priority—more important than getting love, approval, or attention; more important than getting rich; more important than having control over others; and more important than avoiding pain.

This is what changed my life so dramatically—learning to love myself and others and learning to take full responsibility for my own feelings. This is what created the fertile ground for the incredible download of grace that spirit gifted to me.