A Season of Miracles
As I sit at my computer this sunny, frigid morning, my head is filled with miracles around me. There has been a major storm across the United States which has been wreaking havoc on travel plans and causing all sorts of mayhem. In fact, many have not made it through the last few weeks as Mother Nature has shown us how truly powerful she is. I am so grateful for the health and safety of my loved ones. My cousin who was without power for the better part of a week proved his survivor skills while using his generator to keep the fridge and freezer running, rather than keeping the heat on. His house got down to 48 degrees inside and now he has “bragging rights”. My sister fell on black ice and ended up with seven stitches and a broken hand. While she is less than comfortable, it was her non-dominant hand, and her attitude is good. It could have been so much worse. And, this year I have been trained in Distance Reiki and can send reiki energy to towns without electricity to help them quickly and safely restore power (again and again when trees keep toppling onto power lines) and, I can send reiki energy to my sister’s broken bones and stitched skin to help them heal quickly, with less pain and scarring. In short, I feel a little less powerless.
In the last 72 hours, I was warm at home and waiting for three loved ones to fly in from three different states. Each of my loved ones had their flights delayed and canceled. My phone weather app was showing a local Winter Storm Warning with 5-8” of snow, high winds and ground blizzard conditions, trees likely to lose branches and topple from the weight of the snow, causing power outages and blocked roads, with air temperatures below zero and “feels like” temperatures in the -30 to -45 degree range. An accident could quickly turn into a fatality and people were strongly urged to stay home. Michigan’s forecast wasn’t much different. Seattle was blanketed in snow and freezing rain causing their hills to become a sheet of ice. California’s weather was okay, but getting out of there to the Pacific Northwest and/or the Midwest was (nearly) impossible - no flights were available until Dec. 27th. I’m happy to say, thanks to believing in miracles and the help of Archangels Raphael and Michael, all of my people made it home safely, and my trips to and from the airport, although slick, were safe. We are together and my gratitude is beyond measure.
It’s funny how our gratitude is magnified in harrowing circumstances. I often see hawks and eagles on my half hour drive between my home and the airport. I always appreciate seeing them. It puts a smile on my face. However, when the roads are icy, cars are in the ditch, and people aren’t driving faster than 40mph, seeing a bald eagle flying above me gives me an extra relaxing exhale of relief. I imagine Archangel Michael taking up all the room in my back seat, and when my car fish-tails, I can say, “Michael” and my car is under control again immediately. I know it sounds crazy. It really does work, though, which is why I’m publishing it for the world wide web to see.
A year ago, the day after Christmas, my girls really wanted to go to Barnes and Noble the day after Christmas. We were getting a lot of snow and the roads were pretty slick, but my youngest found the perfect gift book for her boyfriend, and since he had Covid and was stuck at home over his birthday and Christmas, she really wanted to deliver it to him. We did. It was white-knuckle driving all the way. As we were headed back home, and entered the freeway (where the speed limit is 70mph - not that anyone should be traveling that fast during a blizzard, but the vehicles that are closer to a half-ton or more and have 4WD do tend to travel faster than most in any weather, I’ve noticed. My car is AWD and not that heavy, so I don’t know if it’s the engine or the driver or a combination of both. I just know I need to be careful. Sorry about the tangent.), I accelerated too fast and my car hit ice and started weaving. I know enough to “turn into the slide”, and I did - over, and over, and over. I felt like Mario Andretti had entered my body and took control of my car as we slid back and forth over three lanes. Miraculously, we did not end up in the ditch (or worse) and none of the other cars and trucks on the highway were affected. It was as if my passengers and I were in a bubble - and so we were- safely protected by our Guardian Angels and Archangel Michael, and, I’m sure, my dad, who has made sure all of his loved ones are safe and protected in their vehicles since his passing. In fact, if you’re reading this, consider it your reminder from Joe Jez to check your tires, change your oil regularly, and don’t drive around with bad brake pads.
The Holidays can be a rough time of year for a LOT of people. The nights are longer than the days and when we’ve experienced a loss, or abuse, or depression, for example, the darkness seems to be even darker. In our very binary belief system, darkness is to be avoided and light made the center of our focus. However, a wise man taught me that if we take light into the darkness and shine upon that which has been hiding, we will find that things aren’t ever quite as bad as they seem. The yin and yang, the darkness and light, they go together. One is not better than the other. It’s when I shine the light on the scariest, saddest, most secret parts of me that I find hope. When I am bathed in light, there’s always a flicker of darkness, to remind me that things are not always what they seem and it’s prudent to stay alert. We cannot have one without the other.
This week we celebrated Hannukah, Winter Solstice, a New Moon, and now we will celebrate Christmas, Kwanza, and the New Year. Each of these celebrate Light in Darkness and the intentions we make to be more loving, giving, charitable, and compassionate. The miracle in that is worth repeating. And so it is. And so we do. Happy Holidays to all. May each of you experience the miracles of the season! Peace and Blessings!
