Month: June 2016

Pennies from Heaven

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Do you have a prosperity consciousness?

I do.

Prosperity means enjoying peace of mind, health, happiness, financial success, and perfect self-expression.

Consciousness means the state of being awake and aware of one’s surroundings; the awareness or perception of something by a person; the fact of awareness by the mind of itself and the world.

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The other day I was in a parking lot when I saw a penny. I picked it up and said “Thank you God. Now, one million times this comes to me, for my personal use, under grace.” Then, I saw another penny. I said the same affirmation. Then, I saw a third penny and said the affirmation again.

I’m serious.

The reason I do this is because I want to show The Universe that I accept all gifts from God, small and large. It has been said that “Thank You, God.” is one of the best prayers you can pray. I believe it and practice it.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.  Melody Beattie

My father taught me to have a prosperity consciousness way before I started reading and learning from the great spiritual teachers such as Catherine Ponder, Eric Butterworth, Emmet Fox, Depra Chopra, Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, Florence Scovel Shinn, May Rowland, and others.

Joe used to say to my mother all the time: “Give Susie whatever she wants.” I grew up believing I could have everything I wanted. And, you know what? I do. I always have. I cringe when I hear parents tell their children that they can’t have everything they want.

Peace be within thy Walls and Prosperity within thy Palaces.  122nd Psalm

One year, my tax accountant shook his head and said “I don’t know how you do it.” I hardly had any income, I was in grad school full-time, yet I managed my home, wore nice clothes, took care of myself in a nice fashion, vacationed in Aruba. The thing is God, our heavenly Father, provides for me and for you.

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“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” 23rd Psalm

I also practice The Power of Ten. This means when I have a financial transaction, whether I am buying something, paying a bill, or receiving any money, I affirm: “Thank you God for this bounty. Ten times this amount now comes to me freely, quickly, and for my personal use, under grace.”

The Power of Ten also includes Tithing one tenth of one’s income to the spiritual organization or person from whom you get your spiritual inspiration, on a regular basis. If you give sporadically, you will receive sporadically.

Jesus said “I have come so that you will have life and have it abundantly.”

I have never felt needy or in need. I have wanted, desired certain material things and I have worked and saved for them.  I came into this world with certain God-given skills and talents and you did, too. Remember the biblical story of the man who gave money to his three servants. Two of them spent or invested the money and the third buried his money. The master gave more money to the two who used the money and he took away the money squandered by the third man.

The meaning I take from this story is that we all have been given gifts and it is up to us to make use of what we have been given, to the best of our ability and we will be rewarded, “with the kingdom of heaven” as God promised.

“Your diamonds are not in far distant mountains or in yonder seas; they are in your own backyard, if you but dig for them.” Russell H. Conwell

I have desired intangible things, too, and I have prayed and worked towards those desires and goals. Health, happiness, loving relationships. I suffered with depression for a long time. I  am now relieved of that heavy, dark burden. I have always enjoyed good health. However, I practice healthy habits and strive for a positive outlook. It took me a long time and many prayers for Bruce to come into my life. Spirit is never too late. “Thank You, God!”

I even prayed for a dog to come into my life after Casey passed in 1999. Freddy, the best dog in the world, came to us in 2013. We tell Freddy we love him all the time and add “And more importantly, God loves you.”

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I keep on praying until what I want comes into my life and I try not to worry about time. I have faith that the best will come, in the right way and the right time. The longer your good is in coming, the greater it will be when it arrives.

“And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. Isaiah 65:24  This means that every good and perfect gift is already awaiting your recognition.

I want to know about you–Do you have a prosperity consciousness? Do you thank God for EVERYTHING? What is your prayer life like?

Please share your thoughts in the comments section.

Casey, My Dog

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Casey

After I completed graduate school at UCONN in May of 1984 and before I started my new job on July 1st, I got an 8 week old puppy named Casey.  Casey was on her way to the dog pound with her litter mates to be given up and I took her from the owner. It had been 11 years since I left my parents home and didn’t have a dog. What a gift to myself!

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For the 13 years that I had Casey, I brought her to Mare and Joe’s house and they took care of her while I worked or any time I was away from my home for more than 4 hours.

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Each morning, she was eager to get in the car and to go to their home. And each evening, she would be so happy when I returned. It was back in the day when dogs just went outside on their own and were not leashed or tied up. Mare went for a short walk each day with Casey, just down the street. Joe said Casey would sit on a neighbor’s yard and keep a watch-full eye on both houses.

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At around 5p.m., Casey would sit on the front step, waiting for me to return. I did a lot of business and personal travel in those years and Casey would be disappointed when I didn’t show up as anticipated. Mare would get upset because Casey would repeatedly go in and out. Sometimes, when I telephoned home, Mare would hold the telephone out so Casey could hear my voice.

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She was a sweet girl with a gentle disposition. She was my most devoted companion for 13 beautiful years. When it came time for me to put her down, it was saddest thing for me to do. I had  prayed that I would have the courage to do the right thing at the right time for Casey. I cried and cried and Mare and Joe did, too.  I didn’t think my world would ever be good or right again.

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Lesson Learned~Never give up the opportunity to rescue or save a dog from the pound.  Love and care for your dog and you will be rewarded a hundred times over.

P.S. One of the best lines in cinematic history, in my opinion, is from the movie “The War of the Roses”. Danny Devito, the sage, weathered, older lawyer replies to the young inexperienced lawyer when asked about a relationship gone sour: “There are cat people and there are dog people.”

Joe Buys a Race Horse

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After Joe sold the bar, he bought a harness race horse, named Star Choice, in a claiming race. He then continued to buy other pacer horses at auctions and bred horses with his brood mare.

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I never knew Joe had an interest in horses, never mind race horses. My father was not a ‘gambling man’, either. How he learned how to breed, raise, train and race standard bred pacers is beyond me. I do remember he had one book that he referred to that was kept on his end table. I can’t remember or imagine Mare’s level of surprise about this turn of events. I had left home by this time.

He was still working at the power plant at the time. He went to see and feed his horses every morning and, if he was available, he went every late afternoon, too. Otherwise, he arranged for someone else to feed his horses in the afternoon. They were boarded in Ludlow for quite a while, then in Greenfield which is no short trek from West Springfield.  Along with the horses came the big truck, the horse trailer, the sulky, the bales of hay, grain, and various and sundry horse equipment. And, veterinarian bills, boarding fees, etc. He was a member of the U.S. Trotting Association.

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He bought a personal computer and I helped him learn how to use it. He tracked his entries and results on the U.S. Trotting Association website. (He also used his computer to manage his stock portfolio and for his stock trades.)

One night, Joe got the telephone call that his brood mare who was in foal was going into labor. I went with him to the Ludlow, MA barn where she was boarded. She had just given birth moments before we arrived. I can remember seeing the placenta which was large and bloody. The foal was wet and the mother licked her. She struggled to get up and kept falling down (which I think is normal) and Joe was a nervous wreck. She finally stood up with a little help from Joe. I had a brand new Fujica SLR camera and took pictures. Joe became even more nervous because he thought the flash would spook the mother.

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Some of the other horses Joe bought or bred, trained, and raced were Angel’s Vicar, CinderKate (for my niece), CinderDan (for my brother and my nephew), Whip City Gal, and Soap Suds Sue (for me). My claim to fame~a horse named after me!

He raced his horses in Hinsdale, New Hampshire, Rockingham, NY, Sarasota, NY, The Meadowlands in NJ, and at Scarborough Fair in Maine.

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Again, I don’t think Mare was too pleased, but she tried to make the best of it and sometimes went to the races where some of their friends joined them. If the horse won, everyone would quickly run down to “The Winner’s Circle” and get their photo taken with the horse. These winning photos were all over the house.

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Mare liked going to the races and fairs where trophies were won and to the ceremonial dinners for the racemen.  Mare and I went to a ceremony at The Hotel Northampton to accept a trophy for Joe, as he was working the 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the power plant.

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Once, when Mare and I were vacationing in Florida, Joe asked us to go to the Pompano Raceway where one of Joe’s friends, a woman, had a horse entered in a race. Mare couldn’t understand why a woman would ever get involved in such an enterprise.

MareSusan

I don’t know if Joe made money from his horses: I can’t imagine that he would be involved in a losing venture. I used to say jokingly that “Joe spent his money on fast women and slow horses.”

When Joe was unexpectedly hospitalized and required a lengthy recovery period, he knew he was unable to care for his only horse. He decided to give his horse away to his driver, Dougie DelNero. After the conversation, he hung up the telephone and cried.

Lesson Learned~I wish I had become involved to some degree in learning about the horse business when I had the opportunity.