The reading this morning is a quote from Hellen Keller:
“I have for many years endeavored to make this vital truth clear; and still people marvel when I tell them I am happy.
They imagine that my limitations weigh heavily upon my spirit, and chain me to the rock of despair. Yet, it seems to me, happiness has very little to do with the senses.
If we make up our minds that this is a drab and purposeless universe, it will be that, and nothing else. On the other hand, if we believe that the earth is ours, and that the sun and moon hang in the sky for our delight, there will be joy upon the hills of gladness in the fields because the Artist in our souls glorifies creation.
Surely, it gives dignity to live to believe that we are born into this world for noble ends, and that we have a higher destiny that can be accomplished within the narrow limits of this physical life.”
I think you have all heard the story of how I told Glenn and Heather I would never do a talk. They had been telling us in class that we all have gifts that we don’t know about yet and at that point I didn’t know I had the ability to write talks and then one day I had an epiphany and wrote my story on how I discovered spiritualism.
I felt compelled to take out that talk and dust it off because I think my story on how I found spiritualism is slightly different than most of you.
In my life I have always strived to be a good person. I like to do nice things for others so they feel special and loved. It makes me feel so good when I know I may have made someone’s day just a little bit brighter. I try and help people as much as possible, sometimes to my own detriment because I take care of everyone else first. I’m still working on getting that balance right.
The sixth principle is: Actions create results according to natural law.
I think this principle has guided me to change my life since I started coming to church and classes but I will get to that story a little later.
The Spiritualist Church of Canada states the: Natural Law is a code of God’s laws manifested through infinite wisdom and harmony. They ensure that Divine Order prevails. These natural laws are immutable and constant, applying to everything and everyone without exception in both the spiritual and physical worlds.
Natural Laws can be seen as truth in action and have existed since the beginning of time. Other names for these laws are Universal Laws or Divine Order.
Most of you know I was diagnosed with Melanoma Skin Cancer about 8 years ago and I underwent the only type of treatment for that type of cancer at the time which was Interferon. Being on Interferon made me feel like I had the flu 24/7. I found out recently that they don’t do this treatment anymore for Melanoma and have found alternate treatments but that is beside the fact.
Most days I kept very positive about it and found that the side effects of the treatment weren’t really bad. On the other hand, the days I had negative thoughts about the treatment my side effects tended to be a lot worse.
Positive thoughts brought positive results. My actions to stay positive during my treatments helped me get through it. It wasn’t always easy to stay positive all the time during treatment. Especially on those days that I felt so sick I couldn’t even get off the couch. Thankfully there weren’t too many of those days. I had to remind myself that I decided to go through this treatment so if it were to come back that I knew I had done everything I could to prevent it.
I never realized how much a negative outlook on life affects your health and well-being until I started to come to this church.
As some of you may be aware, my husband and Glenn worked together for a long time before Glenn retired. Glenn was doing a talk at a service at another church before they opened this church and asked if Clint and I would come and support him.
We walked into that church and I seemed to have a peace come over me, a feeling of belonging. I received a message that evening. The message bearer was a person I had never met before and he knew nothing of me. He was able to tell me that I was going on a trip – which I was. I also had a bit of a sore throat that night and he asked me if there was something wrong with my throat. He suggested maybe getting it looked at. I went to the doctor later that week and found out that I had strep throat.
Glenn and Heather invited us to another service to celebrate them being ordained as ministers in the Spiritualist Church. Again, we went to support them and I had those same feelings of peace and belonging.
When Glenn and Heather started this church, they invited us to come to the first service and of course we went to support them. I felt a real connection with spiritualism that day. I decided that I needed to continue to go to the church to see if it was the right fit for me. I loved the thought that Spirit was always with us helping us through our day. I think sometimes Penny May gives me little reminders that she is there so that I remember to call on my guides for help.
I started classes with Glenn and Heather the next year to learn more about spiritualism. I was still apprehensive about it since I grew up in a Christian household that went to church every Sunday. I was very involved in the church activities. I sang in the children’s choirs when I was young and then joined the adult choir when I was old enough. I sang in a praise and worship band that was responsible for the music on the Sunday’s that we were singing. I was a youth group leader and I also taught Sunday School for a few sessions but I never felt I truly belonged there.
I was the last of my siblings to leave the church we grew up in. I always felt I would disappoint my Mom if I didn’t keep going to that church but I felt I needed to explore Spiritualism for me to see if that was the path I was supposed to take.
Trusting my guides didn’t come easy for me. Back in those early years of learning about Spiritualism I had guides that basically gave me a slap on the wrist and told me that I am in the right place and I can do things. I found out they may not give you what you ask for but they will give you what you need.
I had to test my guides in those early years. I had to prove they were around in little ways. When I was going to cancercare so often the year I was in treatment and parking was always at a premium there I would ask my Joy Child – Penny May – to help me get a decent parking spot so I didn’t have to walk too far. Every time I remembered to send her ahead I would get a good spot. The day I forgot to send her ahead I had to park a good couple of blocks away. That helped me to trust my guides.
If it weren’t for Spirit I wouldn’t have found the church and I wouldn’t have truly understood how actions create results according to natural law. My year of cancer treatment could have gone way different in the negative direction.
Turning your thoughts from negative to positive can be a challenge but in the end, it is so worth the extra effort. You will feel so much lighter and happier when you put a positive spin on something. The more positive energy you put out into the world the more positive energy comes back to you. Life is so much better and easier when there is positivity in it.
Like the 6th principal states: Actions create results according to natural law. I think my experiences in the church have proven this to me tenfold.
I feel so blessed to be part of this church family.
Thank you.