NewsletterPlease sign up to receive my free newsletter A Taste of Abundance * new information * common challenges I see that are not in my book * announcements of upcoming events Newswletters are automatically archived on this page. Privacy Policy The list will not be sold nor loaned out to any other use. A Taste of Abundance Vol. 1, No. 1 Abundance (n) great plenty; an overflowing quantity; ample sufficiency; fullness; overflowing; abundant wealth or means. ========= ========= “If you can get her to eat, I’ll be amazed.” For days the ancient one had silently stared out the window. Yesterday, she stopped eating and drinking water. Today, she closed her eyes and stopped responding to any of the nurses. Not an auspicious beginning for a 16 year-old hospital volunteer, in a new blue-and-white, starched Candy Striper pinafore, one who had read The Power of Positive Thinking only the year before. She’d agreed to volunteer, and volunteer she would. Taking a deep breath, she picked up the patient’s meal tray, walked to the ancient one's room saying, “This is a test. This is only a test. If it was a true emergency you already would have been given instructions on how to proceed.” Ending with silent prayer and the phrase, “OK God, you’re in charge here.” She quietly set the food tray down, introduced herself, noticed the broken fingernails, then slipped her warm hand into the cold 70 year-old hand —and waited. The gray-haired head shifted, one eye blinked open. “I came to feed you.” The ancient one nodded, “No.” The teenager gently held the bony hand and silently asked The Divine, “Now what do I do?” “Be still.” She stifled a laugh. While outwardly polite … inside, she was a wise guy. “OK. You know, with a three-hour shift and a very ill 70 year-old woman to feed, it’s not likely that I’ll be going anywhere.” “I know. Be still.” Thank God the Divine never told her to be quiet! I suspect, knowing her like I do, that it would be a waste of breath and energy. The teenager sang a silent hymn, noticed the black hairs on the aged chin, the thick gray hair crying out to be washed and brushed … and was still. Then she sang another silent hymn. With her eyes still closed, the ancient one nodded “Yes” and weakly squeezed the warm young hand. The teenager put a small taste of food on a spoon and gently touched the bluish, peeling lips. They parted. She paused, then placed the spoon in the toothless mouth allowing the ancient one to take the food at her own pace. When the she was done with the spoon, she let go. The young one quickly filled it … and waited for the signal. At that pace, the ancient one ate a small dish of mashed potatoes and chicken gravy, fresh green peas, the cherry-red Jell-O squares, and sipped half a cup of cool water. The teenager silently sang six hymns, nine if you count the duplicates. When the ancient one was done she said, “That was good. Thank you.” God only knows what the shocked teenager said. It had taken over an hour. “I’ll be back in two days.” The ancient one nodded, smiled, then said, “I’ll be here.” The two had an agreement to keep. Months later the teenager learned that the nurses had already decided that the ancient one would be dead before the sun rose in the morning ... regardless of who volunteered to feed her. Only two of the eight gave the new volunteer any hope of success on her first day. After several months, all the nurses and several physicians agreed: If Suzan could get anyone to eat, They would live, get well and go home. Those that didn’t even take a taste, let alone eat-—didn't. ========= ========= The Red Sea parted Little did I realize that the Red Sea had parted in my own life when I was sixteen. My path was set, just not clear to me back then. From that experience I realized that only a taste can shift an entire life. A taste of abundance will attract more. Another taste attracts even more. And more. Interested in more? Willing to take a small action step? A step that might change your life ... and your financial abundance? ========= ========= Action Step Gather a writing instrument and paper. Find a quiet spot. Be still. Then begin to write out all of the things you do have. The people that are, and those that have been, a positive influence in your life. Remember and also list the events that bring a smile to your heart. Stop every few minutes, and experience gratitude for what you already have in your life. Taste it, feel it deep inside your self. Take this experience and knowledge with you as you go about your life. Add to your list again ... tomorrow. ========= ========= Begin to remember Even in dire circumstances most of us enjoy a life of unbelievable abundance. We simply forget. Today, begin to remember. This simple action step, focusing on what is good in your life, and writing it down, is the leverage that will propel you forward to experience more abundance. Gratitude is a very subtle and powerful agent. When a small amount is applied to a pressure point within a system, the gratitude will shift and reorganize that entire system, in this case ... your life. ========= ========= Be still Quiet your thoughts and worries about tomorrow or next week or month. Tell these thoughts: Peace be still. Allow them to take a hike—without you. If they pester you, tell them again, to be still. Remember that you can shout at them in your head or put your index finger to your mouth ... "shhh." They’ll finally get the message and wander off without you. Consider using a journal (8.5 x 11 inch) or a three-ring notebook with tabs. Label the first tab for your gratitude list. Remember to write down the abundance that comes into your life during this time. ========= ========= Gratitude: something you both feel as sensations in and on your body and experience with your mind and heart. A little will attract more. Remember that like attracts like. It's a powerful universal law. One that can work in your favor like a taste of abundance. ========= ========= Keeping Agreeements Did the ancient one keep her agreement? No. Before the teenager returned, she was wheeled out. Gently slipped into the waiting car. Her daughter and granddaughter took her home. Sometimes more than we think is possible ... is actually on it’s way to us, soon to land in our lap. Keeping the faith allows "it" to show up at our front door. When the knock comes, be ready for more. At sixteen, I’d not heard the phrase, “This or something better.” Now, I place it at the end of my requests and acknowledgements to The Divine. Feel free to do the same. ========= ========= By Hand Some very powerful internal shifts happen when you write things out in long hand. You then become deeply connected to yourself, your inner and outer experiences and The Source. I recommend engaging this Power. In a few days you will have quite a list. Read some of it every day. Regularly add some more. Enjoy! I’ll be back with another taste. I trust you’ll be ready for more. ========= ========= Copyright 2003 Suzan Hilton All rights reserved. Suzan Hilton, MT, CPA (Inactive) creator, A Taste of Abundance e-newsletter, author of The Feng Shui of Abundance A Practical and Spiritual Guide to Attracting Wealth in to Your Life To order your own copy of The Feng Shui of Abundance, click here No part of this site may be quoted or reproduced without prior written permission. |
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