Destiny

William Jennings Bryan has a great saying, "Destiny is not a matter of chance; it's a matter of choice." It's important to remember that while some big events in our life are destined, most of our days come down to our choice. How will you choose to live today? What will you choose to do with your life this summer? This year?

I heard another great saying recently: "Everyone is in the relationship he or she wants to be in." This, too, is true. We often forget that we have choices in our relationships, our careers, our residence. If you're not happy, change it. If you feel stuck, make yourself unstuck. If you've lost hope, find new hope.

This sounds easy, and I know it's not. But like anything worthwhile, making positive choices and changes in our life is worth the effort.

Here's a poem I share with my students each semester:

When we enter this world we are a blank canvas.
And as we walk through this life, each person we meet
Leaves a brush stroke upon us.
Some leave red and others leave blue or yellow.
But there comes a time in all our lives when we must pick up the brush
And decide whether we are going to be just another painting
Or a masterpiece.

Spend this week choosing your destiny and painting your masterpiece.

Calling All Shoppers!

As my way of saying thank you to all you amazing clients, bloggers, and listeners I'm offering free shipping for the summer. Through my online store, I offer crystal chakra bags which are hand knit by me and blessed with Reiki energy. They are then filled with chakra stones which you can use to give readings, to cleanse and balance your chakras or a client's, to meditate or to create a crystal grid. I also make Angel Spray which is filled with holy water, two types of Sage essential oil, lavender and crystal chips to keep the spray energized. Use it to energetically clean your home, car, work space, your crystals and yourself and others. Bad Mojo Begone Bath Salts help you energetically detox from a bad week. Each bag is filled with Epsom and Sea Salts and essential oils to help you destress and unplug from any negative mojo going on around you. And don't forget to check out my powerful meditation CDs. Happy Shopping!

Dealing with Grief

I'm not an expert on grief by any means, but I see enough grief being experienced by my clients and of course I've had my own share of grief. I lost a loved one more than 13 years ago, and I thought I was dealing with the sadness and loss very well (i.e stuff it down and don't think about it). But then a video surfaced and seeing him and hearing his voice again brought back all the pain, sorrow and profound loss. This has shocked me, but it's a good reminder for a medium who sees grief all the time.

Grief never ends. We just learn ways to get through it. When a tragedy strikes, I often hear people say, "I don't know how she gets up in the morning" Or "How will he get over this?" And I always answer with: "He won't. He'll learn to get through it." There's a big difference. You never get over a loss.

Some things that have helped me deal with my grief are to memorialize my loved ones through stories, planting a special tree, getting a tattoo, and keeping pictures around. I also talk to them -- a lot. And I ask for signs in return. It's very helpful. None of this cures the grief or ends it. But it does help me get through it -- day by day by day.

If you know someone going through a difficult loss, don't be afraid to ask them about it. Check out my good friend Deb Bowen's book A Good Friend for Bad Times. Here's the link. No matter how much time has passed, remember to ask your grandmother about her husband. Make sure you write your aunt on your deceased cousin's birthday. Even if it's been twenty years, ask your dad to tell you stories about his dad. Grief never ends; it endures as long as the time it takes until we see them again. But as a very wise woman once said to me, "The only way to get through grief is to talk. Have a witness to your pain."

I also think it helps to know that even though we can't see them, hear them or touch them, they are here. Right here. Reading this right along with you.

Quarters From Heaven

Hello Readers! Wanted to share this very special sign from above with you. My daughter recently graduated kindergarten. We were so excited for this event. She got to wear a cap and gown, had to memorize part of a poem and sing two songs. When I put her to bed that night, I tucked her in, pulled the covers up and kissed her good night. But knowing my rambunctious sleeper, I fully expected to find her out of the covers as usual the next morning. She's a flipper and usually ends up with her head at the foot board and her feet on the pillow. But this morning when I walked in to wake her up, she was laying perfectly still -- head on her pillow, blankets still tucked under her chin. And right on top of the blanket was a quarter!

Why is this significant? Well, my mother-in-law transitioned to the other side two years ago. She loved nothing more than being a loving mother and grandmother and we were all saddened to see her go. I asked her to give me quarters as her sign that she was with us. I find quarters now in the most amazing ways. So this morning when I found the quarter lying there on my still tucked in kindergartner, I knew it was my mother-in-law's way of saying, "I'll be there!"

Oh, and the year on the quarter was the year my husband graduated from high school!

Give your loved ones in heaven a sign to show you and know that they are literally just a thought away.

I Love Your Dress

It happened again today. During a reading, a loved one came through to describe an Easter dress her daughter wore. I love it when that happens because it's such a great way of telling my clients, "Yes! Your loved ones see you, check in with you, and are always present at the big occasions." One of my all time favorite readings was when a mom came through and described her daughter's prom dress and wedding dress in great detail -- two major events in her daughter's life that had occurred after she passed. Such a small thing -- a dress, a veil, a suit, a tie -- and yet so meaningful.

So the next time you have a major occasion, know that your loved ones are right there with you.

Of course, I can't help adding one more story. This past summer, a young woman on my husband's side of the family died. I couldn't attend the funeral because one of my children came down with the flu. I tried to meditate and communicate with this wonderful woman to tell her how sorry I was that I couldn't be there. In her typical fashion, she popped right in and laughingly said, "Don't worry about it, but tell them I hate the pale blue dress they put me in. Not my color!" When my husband came home from the funeral, I asked him what color the dress was and laughed when he said, "Blue."

Over the Rainbow

At my last intuitive development class, we did a guided meditation to meet our spirit guide. There's a part where we're guided to look across a crystal bridge and see our guide walking toward us. When the meditation was over, I asked the class, "When you were looking over the rainbow bridge, I mean the crystal bridge, were you able to see your guide?" I remember thinking, "How had I made that mistake? I always tell people to look across the crystal bridge. Why had I said rainbow?"

Later that night, a student from that class emailed me. Her husband transitioned to the other side just before the holidays, not long after their child was born. On the way to class she said to her husband, "If you're with me, make Samantha say the word rainbow."

I love the way spirit works. I've been guiding students through that spirit guided meditation over the crystal bridge for more than three years. I've done it so many times, I've memorized it. And yet through the power of this wonderful man's love for his strong and courageous wife, he managed to get me to say "rainbow" instead of "crystal." And she was able to go home with the validation she needed that yes, her husband is alive and well on the other side and still very much a part of his wife and child's life.