Have you ever listened to a song and felt that they were telling a story about you? I have!

I was listening to the radio on my way to work when a few years ago and a new song came on. It was Black Sheep by Dean Brody.

The lyrics are:

I was raised in a small town underneath a steeple
Raised with the good book in my hand
Though i loved the Shepherd
I didn’t mix well with his people
So one day I jumped the fence to find new lands

I’m just a black sheep looking for a family
Others just like me wandering ’round
I’m just a black sheep about here in the badlands
Hoping I ain’t too damned lost to be found

I hang with the lone wolves, the outcast and the sinners
We drink beer in the taverns Friday nights
We shoot whiskey and we cuss, we throw down, we make up
Working all our guardian angels overtime

I’m just a black sheep looking for a family
Others just like me wandering ’round
I’m just a black sheep ’bout here in the badlands
Hoping I ain’t too damned lost to be found

Sometimes late at night i get thinking about my Shepherd
How it broke his big old heart to see me stray
But if I know the hound of heaven
He’s left the flock to find me
And when he tracks me down oh happy, happy day

‘Cause i’m just a black sheep lookin’g for a family
Others just like me wandering ’round
I’m just a black sheep ’bout here in the badlands
Hoping I ain’t too damned lost to be found
Hoping I ain’t too damned lost to be found, found, found
Hoping I ain’t too damned lost to be found

When that day comes and he takes me
To his throne on that mountain
He’ll say welcome home son, you’re family
And I’ll turn around and I’ll look out
On his heaven of millions
On a sea of black sheep just like me

The very first verse caught my attention. It basically was my childhood to my 20’s in one verse.

I remember growing up and listening to the bible verses and sermons and not connecting with those words. I felt like I didn’t belong there. I grew up with parents who told me that we go to church and this is what we believe in. I never got the feeling that I was able to choose for myself what to believe in.

I got to my 30’s and was feeling lost spiritually. Then came along Glenn and Heather. Glenn had invited me and my husband to a service where he was going to be doing the talk. We went and I was introduced to the Spiritualist Church. I loved what the spiritualist church stands for and that we put our words into actions.

I think I was that black sheep looking for a family and I had found it during that first introduction to the Spiritualist Church. It took me a while to figure that out fully but it was a start to this new journey into Spiritualism.

I wasn’t hanging out with lone wolves, outcasts or sinners and I don’t drink a lot but I do know that my protector was guiding me throughout that time to find the church.

I have been coming to this church since the church started almost 12 years ago and have been taking classes about 10 years. I’ve learned a lot about myself and how to be the best person I can be. Learning to trust my guides to be with me to help me throughout my day. Learning to be a more positive person. I’ve learned that if I don’t ask my guides for guidance and help then I won’t get what I need. I’ve learned that the healing we ask for through our guides to actually works. This has been proven to me over and over. Our guides do marvelous work.

After hearing other people’s stories on how they have found this church I know we were all “lost sheep” in our own way and have found our way to this church family.

I hope you have all felt as welcomed here as I did when I first started.

Today’s reading is a quote from Michel de Montaigne

To begin depriving death of its greatest advantage over us,
let us adopt a way clean
contrary to that common one;
let us deprive death of its strangeness,
let us frequent it, let us get used to it;
let us have nothing more often in mind than death…
We do not know where death awaits us: so let us wait for it everywhere.
To practice death is to practice freedom. A person who has learned how to die has unlearned how to be slave.  

I am grateful to join you here today.   I asked my guides to help me prepare a message that is helpful to you and me.  My fingers are crossed…

In the past few weeks, I have been wrestling again with death and mortality.  The 8th anniversary of our son’s death in Vietnam was August 29.  Right around that time, I came down with a non-COVID-19 cold/flu so I was under the weather for a time and came to church for our first September service wearing a mask.

 I felt better, then on September 6, one of my supervisors texted me that a retired colleague I last saw in July at Folk Fest and who had been an inspiration in my life had unexpectedly died.  I cried.  A couple days later, I got news another retired colleague who had comforted me while I grieved my son’s death, had also died.  Tears again.  

The unexpectedness of their deaths connected me to my feelings of shock when my son unexpectedly died.  My emotional boat, floundering around somewhat, was now swamped.  I became sick and ended up on antibiotics which thankfully helped.

I know without a doubt there is a connection between mind and body.  In spite of my belief in spirit’s continuation after we leave our bodies, the events of those weeks had taken a toll on my body.  A reset was needed.   Working on preparing this message was part of my reset.

Looking back, I saw another important factor to my becoming ill that I had not considered.  While processing the unexpected deaths of the two dear colleagues, I shared emotional experiences with friends and colleagues also affected by these deaths.  These friends and colleagues also experienced shock and grief.

We are all connected.  One of our principles as Spiritualists is that we acknowledge “Unity and Equality of all.”  But as a society, we are generally not taught we are energetically connected with others.  If I do something that’s harmful to you, it’s also harmful to me.  If you feel sorrow or anger, the ripples of your emotions wash up on the shores of my being and have impact.

One of my spiritual teachers taught me to be aware of and separate from the emotional states of others for the sake of perspective.  At times, I talked with him when I was feeling sad or down. He told me to give myself permission to feel only what was mine of the feeling and let go of what was not mine.  When I remembered to do this, I usually felt an immediate lightening of the load. I had a recent experience when I was driving to meet with someone for an appointment. 

I felt an overwhelming anxiety and dreaded going.  As I was driving, I gave myself permission to feel only my feelings and immediately experienced a lighter, freer feeling. The dread was gone.  

The appointment went surprisingly well and I learned the person I met with experienced severe and debilitating anxiety.  By thinking about that person prior to the appointment, I had connected with that person’s anxiety which became mixed with my own emotional state.

That was a reminder for me again …thoughts are things and even though people may not admit to having thoughts, we can still be affected by them.  People may not be aware of their own feelings about a person or situation but their feelings can still affect us.  I find it valuable to practice letting go of the emotions that are not mine to carry.

Thoughts are things.  We are creators of our own reality.  We can create a reality filled with love and light, a softer, warmer reality which attracts the highest and best spirit guides, helpers and angels under the white Christ light.  

Sometimes we start to move to a place of judgment about something we have observed.  We may feel anger, disappointment or frustration.  We can choose to observe that feeling without buying into it and just let it float on by.  If we catch ourselves allowing our thoughts to go in a negative direction about a situation, we can instead, “Breathe in light through our Crown chakra and breathe out love through our heart chakra towards that situation.”  

I learned from Heather and Glenn what to do when I am feeling some negative emotion about someone, be it anger, worry, envy, fear or frustration.  I visualize a beautiful oval picture frame with a picture of that person happy, smiling and healthy with a beautiful sunshiny scene in the background and send that picture to them across the ethers.  Thoughts are things.

Our natural inclination may be not to be so generous as to send positive energies towards someone we are angry with or envious towards.  Yet we too are blessed by the positive energy that Creator uses us as a channel to send others.  We, as the channel for this positive energy, experience healing.

Going back to the reading at the beginning of this talk and the quote “We do not know where death awaits us…”  

As Spiritualists, we talk about death with more comfort than most religions and death does not present the same finality and disconnection. Yet, I was rattled by the unexpected deaths of two colleagues who were my friends.  How can I move from simple belief in continuation of the spirit after death to true knowing?  

While I was preparing this talk, I spoke with one of my spiritual teachers about the events of the past few weeks and my recent illnesses.  His advice to me was simple.  In order to be really at peace with death, I needed to spend more time in peaceful meditation visiting the other side, visiting my son and others I love who are already there.  These visits will help me “know” the continuation of spirit after death and to know I can continue to communicate with them after they die.  However, I would still have some emotions related to the physical deaths of loved ones as I adjust to not having their physical presence in my day to day life.

I thought back to an experience I had just four months prior to my son’s death. I had been visiting the same spiritual teacher and told him that, for the first time I could recall, I was fearful of dying.  He agreed to help me explore this more.  With this teacher as my conductor, I entered into the experience of “dying” and felt myself ascending and expanding. Worries and anxieties about life and death were shed.  Freedom and light lifted me. The feeling was glorious!  Then I returned to my body. Looking back, I think my guides were preparing me for what was to come just a few months later.

Earlier this week, one of my co-workers was affected by the anniversary date of her father’s death.  Her father had been loving, an incredible support and teacher through her life.  I tuned into the love and longing felt by my colleague and sensed her father reaching back with love and providing comfort.  I can still feel their emotions and am awed by the power of their connection. A small reminder for me that “Love indeed crosses all dimensions and never dies.”  

I wish to thank my guides for their help in preparing this talk.  May Creator bless you all, today and always.

Hello Folks! Yes, it has been such a long time since Glenn and I sent a website message to all of you. It is with good reason. Before we go into detail as what happened, we just want to say we hope the month of August will be relaxing, enjoyable and Healing to everyone. The long weekend full of good times with family and friends, to end the summer on a high note for you.

So! Here’s a small sample of what happened to us. On February lst, 2023, Glenn was scheduled for a 9:00 a.m. appointment at St. Boniface Hospital to receive an angiogram. He had a short time ago, some chest tightness and was out of breath as we were walking around Kildonan Park. Initially, we thought it was the larger than usual breakfast I made earlier that morning.

After a short break, we resumed our walk and it came about again! This was something we didn’t want to ignore so we called our Family Doctor and got in right away. To make the story short, from there it was a series of tests with an array of Doctors, all of whom were wonderful with Glenn.

What surprised us and the Doctors was the fact they were saying they didn’t understand why he was not dead of either a heart attack or a stroke. He had 80% blockage in his chest which resulted in a quadruple by-pass. He had 90% blockage in his arteries leading up to his brain which lead to serious replacement of arteries to his brain. Glenn was in the hospital for a month with those two major surgeries and at one point had died post surgery.

To go into detail on the angst and concern from myself, our two daughters and our son, well this website message would be three times as long.
Suffice to say…..miracles really do happen…..Absent Healing, along with Prayer and very positive thoughts sent to him really did save his life. Of that we are absolutely sure and the experiences Glenn went through confirmed all that and more.

We want to thank all those who in anyway contributed to this miracle! Our incredible Board of Directors who kept the Church going…our fabulous congregation…… wonderful, stupendous friends, neighbours and extended family. Glenn is a walking testament to how the practice of Spiritualism….the Healing of his physical body was proof positive, not only of life after life….also the healing that continues to happen for him at this time.

Through it all, there was no doubt in my mind, the minds of our family and friends as well as our Church, The Spiritualist Church of The Light that he would receive a complete recovery!! It all happened in the month of February, and now after the great Cardiac Rehab Program which has just ended, he is recovered and goes forward very grateful for all that has happened, every miracle, that brings him to near 100% recovery!

God Bless all Spirit and Angels, all those who had such a huge impact on Glenn, our family and the skillful hands of the Doctors as they worked on him in two major surgeries and saved his life! We are so grateful for Glenn being alive and well with a story of the miracle of Life! God Bless!

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 6^th 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.

Good morning everyone!  Our reading for today is taken from the Spiritualist Church of Canada principles.  We acknowledge…

Principle 2.  Unity and Equality of All.

Principle 3.  Communication, Guidance and Healing from Spirit and Angels.

While preparing today’s message, I had many thoughts and stories rambling through my head.  My oldest son, Braden, now in the spirit world, helped me prepare today’s message along with my spirit guides.  Teachings from the Joseph Communications have also been enriching my spiritual understanding and help to color the picture I present here today.  For those of you who don’t know, the Joseph Communications are a series of channeled books that deal with the realities beyond this early plane.

As most of you know, my oldest son, Braden left his physical body back on August 29, 2015 related to a traffic accident in Vietnam.  At that time, I was not actively involved with the Spiritualist church and his physical death was definitely a shock to me, my family and our community.  Although I believed in my heart that life continued “beyond the veil”, I did not know what that looked like or how connection would continue between my son and me.  Although I had experienced the deaths of older relatives which affected me, I had not previously been so deeply affected by the death of a loved one.

After my son’s accident, our family received many signs and messages that provided us with comfort during our grief.  On September 3, 2015, when I was getting out of our car a very small bird landed right between my feet on the driveway.  A quick touchdown, then it gracefully flew away.  A quick hello for me, a mini miracle, an event I never previously experienced nor experienced again.  

Some days later while watching a Wayne Dyer movie with my husband, I had left the computer on upstairs with Facebook on the screen. I heard the keyboard clicking and commented to my husband. “I hope some Trojan Horse Virus has not high jacked our computer!!!”  Later I went upstairs and found in my Facebook activities that while I was downstairs watching the movie, I had “liked” a post about a mascot at Northern Illinois University, a post I had not seen before and certainly would not have liked!  We chuckled as our son, Braden had always had a gift with electronics and it seemed his gift continued!

Many, many other unusual and inexplicable experiences happened around us over the next weeks and months involving touches, clothing, lights, sounds, birds, flowers, butterflies, cologne and a key chain.

Due to the complexities of our son’s death and bringing his bodily remains back to Canada, the memorial service for Braden did not occur until the evening of September 24, 2015.  Two of my friends were unable to attend as they were attending the Life After Life Conference in Scottsdale Arizona.  When they returned, they had a message for me.  

They told me that on the same evening as the memorial service in Winnipeg, they were in a session with Suzanne Wilson, a renowned medium, when a young man in spirit, Braden, aged 20 years old, came through with a message for his mother.  My friend, Val stood up to receive the message on my behalf.  My snowboarder, skateboarder son in spirit who Suzanne described as a beacon of light for his friends and loved ones, came through with a message for me in Scottsdale, Arizona the same evening he was being commemorated at his memorial service in Winnipeg!  

Then some months later, at a dinner for his 21^st birthday, one of his best friends gave me validation of the medium’s message from Arizona.   He showed me the tattoo he had gotten on his upper arm in memory of Braden… a lighthouse, a beacon of light, with the words, “Find Your Own Way” and two tiny initials, BP.  Braden had always told him “Find Your Own Way, Man.  Don’t ever let anyone tell you what to do or believe.  Find your own way!”  His friend’s words confirmed what we had always known about our son, that he was a strong believer in “Free will.”

The Spiritualists believe that each of us have available spirit guides who once lived on this earthly plane, have left their physical bodies and are continuing their spiritual education and development in higher planes.  

However, we, on this earthly plane, are used to competition, conflict, judgment, war, division, hatred and envy.  We don’t immediately release these mindsets when we leave our physical bodies. Yet as we advance through the spiritual planes, with the support of loving and patient spirit guides, we can choose to let go of the earthly habits and beliefs we brought with us.  Free will continues.  Love, joy, wisdom, compassion and beauty shine forth with ever increasing strength in spirits who choose.

As Spiritualists, we are taught to ask that only the highest and the best spirit guides, helpers and angels under the white Christ light are attracted to us.  We are taught to test these spirits.  We tell them they can stay with us only if they are under the white Christ light.  Our spirit guides have infinite love and infinite patience.  But we have free will. 

We have free will… will we take the time to listen to our guides’ counsel which may just be a faint whisper?  We have free will…will we put our guides’ counsel to our hearts and discern the truth?  We have free will…will we choose to receive the light our spirit guides in the higher planes offer us to light our way?

Our guides are deeply committed to us.  They understand the meaning of unity mentioned in principle 2, that we are all connected.  They have infinite patience and know that when one of us progresses spiritually, we create momentum and a pull for others to progress with us. We are all connected.  

However those who leave their physical bodies continue to have free will about how quickly they will progress in their spiritual journey just as we have free will about how we progress in our spiritual journey while still in our bodies. 

Now going back to Principle 3, the second part of my reading, communication, guidance and healing from spirit and angels.   I want to talk more about love.  Love is a powerful bond.  One of my favorite sayings is that love never dies and crosses all dimensions.  Even when love is complicated by the challenges of living in this earthly plane, love can still shine forth across the dimensions to connect the traveler and the one left behind.

I have one more story to share.  My son, Braden had a long-time girlfriend however they broke up about one year before his accident.                                                

Their relationship had been difficult and although they loved each other, they did not bring out the best in each other. After his death, she went through a difficult time and through our shared grief, she and I reconnected and maintained occasional contact.  She shared about some of her experiences which to me confirmed her ongoing connection to Braden. 

On August 29, 2022, after a couple years without contact with her, I learned Braden’s former girlfriend had almost died on August 29, 2021, after having a watercraft accident.  

She was approximately 150 kilometers from Winnipeg and her sister, a doctor, called for emergency assistance immediately. STARS air ambulance responded and was able to get her to hospital in Winnipeg where she made a miraculous recovery over the following year.  She had not wanted me to know about her accident.  I found out on the one year anniversary of her accident, that same day also being the anniversary of my son’s accident.

On November 18, 2022, I attended a birthday celebration where Braden’s former girlfriend was also a guest. She told me that immediately after her watercraft accident in 2021, she knew her condition was very serious and felt herself slipping into unconsciousness.  She pleaded with God that she not die.  

Then Braden and another of her friends no longer in physical body, came to be with her in her altered state of consciousness.  They told her it was not her time and she would recover from this accident.  

The message she received that day from the spirits of her loved ones who had passed provided her with hope and comfort during the difficult days and months ahead… communications from spirits to one they loved in her darkest time.

While today, I have shared experiences about receiving messages and signs from my son, Braden who is no longer in his physical body, I am not saying these replace the joy I had seeing my son growing on this earth plane.  However, there is comfort for me knowing that he continues to exist and continues to grow in the afterlife… Continuous Existence of the Soul and its Personality.  According to the Joseph Communications, the opportunities for growth are even greater in the spirit world than they are here!!!

I thank you all for being with me today and allowing me to share my story with you.  I also thank my spirit guides, my many teachers, and my son in spirit, Braden for their help with this message.  May God bless you all.  

Knowing you have arrived at the right place at the right time is one of the most uplifting feelings you could ever happen to have, it can bring you a sense of peace and a sense of familiarity.

When I walk into a room and I see someone’s face light up with a smile. I just know this is it and where I need to be and that’s how I feel each Sunday I come to church. I am surrounding myself with like minded people the same people that know and believe there is life after life. In church we get to have some beautiful  moments where we  get to communicate  with loved ones who have crossed over and we can get a glimpse into their world as a message is brought forward.

There were times when I was really missing my family and friends that I would cry tears of joy and relief just to have gotten a message from them. I was never judged or laughed at for expressing my emotions most times I was handed a tissue and was given a hand to hold or a tap on the shoulder showing me that I was cared for and in a safe place.

This is a wonderful experience as not only are you being shown love from the other side but also from your neighbors beside you. I find this comforting and really important.

Over the years I have been given the pleasure of being able to bring messages through to people from their loved ones. Having spirit work through you is a gift that I don’t take lightly nor do I take it for granted and I am blessed to be a conduit in which my guides can work through and also bring their healing touch to people I encounter daily on my journey on this earth plane.

At times I felt it important to understand the messages that spirit told me to share with people this was more my ego and curiosity of wanting to know the whole picture. I understand now that these messages are not meant for me and nor are they part of my story and so I have learned the importance of putting aside my ego and sharing what is told to me. Keeping an open mind I find serves me well as I am never sure what my day might bring to me on a spiritual level.

I have always been a planner and someone who is overly organized. Then just as I think I have my whole day planned I run into a complete stranger and all of a sudden I am being told their story as they just felt the need to share it with me and I do my best to take the time and give them what they need someone who is willing to listen. More and more I notice that each day offers me a bit more understanding into the world around me and the people that are in it.

When it comes to the messages spirit gives me I don’t go around sharing everything I get all the time as at times they seem to be independent messages and their isn’t anyone around me for whom they might be for. I have been getting the urge recently that I may have to call someone not text them but to hear their voice vibration over the phone, when that happens more often than not the that person had me on their mind as that connection had to happen and it was important that we have a conversation. Its like knowing who is calling you as your phone is ringing and you haven’t even looked yet to see who it might be. I call it spirit’s call display.

I am very grateful to have been able to share my thoughts with all of you here today and hoped many of you have got to experience what I have here at our church “ The spiritualist church of the light”

A sense of belonging and a feeling of friendship and knowing that you are cared about.

Good morning.

Today’s reading includes our acknowledgement of two principles from

The Spiritualist Church of Canada 

Principle 5…

Personal Responsibility for the Creation of Our Reality, through Thought, Word and Deed. 

And Principle 7…  

Eternal Progress Open to Every Soul

_________________________________________

                                          1

Good Morning Everyone!

I recently read a book called The In-Betweens, 

The Spiritualists, Mediums and Legends of 

Camp Etna by Mira Ptacin.  The book is about a

small Spiritualist camp in the woods of Maine 

which first started in 1876.  Incredibly, this 

Spiritualist camp, along with others in the 

United States, continues to be in operation.  

I am going to start off with a poem from The In-

Betweens called “I Will” by Estelle Dudley.  It 

was first presented through Camp Etna’s

Pollyanna Club in November 1916.  Some of the language is 

quite different from how we speak today so you 

will have to listen carefully…

“I will start anew this morning with a higher fairer creed.

I will cease to stand complaining of my ruthless neighbour’s greed.  

I will cease to sit repining while my duties’ call is clear.

I will waste no moment whining and my heart shall know no fear.

I will look sometimes about me for things that merit praise.

I will search for hidden beauties that elude the grumblers’ gaze.

I will try to find contentment in the paths that I must tread.

I will cease to have resentment when another moves ahead.

I will not be swayed by envy where my rival’s strength is shown.

I will not deny his merit but I’ll strive to prove my own.

I will try to see the beauties spread before me rain or shine.

I will cease to preach your duty and be more concerned with mine.” 

I loved that poem immediately when I read it.  It 

made me smile.  I was struck by the fact that 

even 100 years ago, members of the Spiritualist 

church were stressing the importance of taking 

personal responsibility for our thoughts, words 

and actions.  I felt connection with these 

believers who had gone on before.

I thought that poem would be a good starting

point for my talk today.  Re-reading that poem, 

I went through a mental checklist and being 

totally honest with myself, thought, “Yeah, 

sometimes I feel fear.  Yeah, sometimes I am 

envious of others’ talents.  Yeah, sometimes I  

resent what others have.  And yeah, in all 

honesty, sometimes I am whiny according to my 

husband.”

Thinking more about that poem… while it 

coached me on how I was to think 

about what I do and don’t have 

in my own life, it lacked in the how. 

How am I to draw on Infinite Spirit, Divine 

Creator to change the quality of my thoughts, 

words and deeds?

Thinking back to the basics, in my daily life, I 

must make time for rest, proper diet, movement 

of my human body, joyful activities, connection 

with loved ones and meditation.  I do my best to 

make these activities the fundamentals of my

daily life. 

Add to these the importance of our community 

of support.  In The In Betweens, one of the 

Camp Etna mediums, Angie Welch was quoted 

and said about her being part of Camp Etna, 

“When I finally came back, I did it so I could 

continue to find out who I was, and now my role 

here is to be present.  When you come through 

the gates of Etna, you go into another world.  

Here at Camp Etna, time stands still.  The 

grounds are healing.  It is protected and we are 

building it back up to be protected.  Like right 

now, we have new people coming in, new 

mediums, younger ones, and they are coming in 

because they have found their people.  And 

maybe that’s the reason I’m here now; I’m here 

to help change the energy of this place.  There is 

a whole group of us right now doing it.  We are 

bringing in the new.”  

The big ideas I got from Angie’s quote are: 

Keep company with good people.  

Maximize the time you spend with people you enjoy.

Connect with others who radiate positivity and 

have similar interests.  

You will be energized and part of something 

special.

Even with following my daily life basics however 

and being part of our community, I still 

sometimes feel like I am NOT connected to 

Infinite Spirit.  When I feel disconnected and 

instead draw on my own energies, I am like an 

out of tune instrument and not a clear channel 

for Infinite Spirit.  My thoughts, words 

and actions lack the sincerity, lightness and 

joy only Infinite Spirit can deliver.   

So how do I draw on Infinite Spirit to give me 

the resources to lighten my thoughts, words and 

actions so that I can be a clear channel in this 

world?

First I acknowledge my own limitations.  While I 

am a spiritual being, I am living in a human body

and a very human world.  As a human, I get 

tired.  At times, I feel hurt or betrayed.  I may 

feel unfairly treated, I experience losses of loved 

ones or things that I treasure.  I sometimes 

worry about things I can’t control or that I might 

miss important decisions for my well being or 

the well being of others.  

When I have these human emotions and 

experiences, I find it hard to think, speak 

and act as the happy representative I should 

be for the Spiritualist Church of the Light, part of 

the Spiritualist Church of Canada.  I am 

tempted to judge myself for my human 

imperfections.

At times like these, I must make quiet time 

for myself, even if it is a quick stop in the 

bathroom.  Remember, me first, me second, me

third.  

Regarding my human imperfections, I am 

called to “love them” and be gentle.  Just as a 

parent would lovingly create safe space for their

child to feel and process their emotions, I am

called to create a loving and safe space for my

healing.  I place my hands over my heart, I 

breathe in and I breathe out.  I ask Infinite Spirit, 

Divine Creator of All that Is, to provide me with 

self healing.  Healing from Spirit and Angels is

available to me. 

I also received some guidance on this from a 

book called Your Life After Death by Michael G.

Reccia. Regarding my human imperfections, I 

say to myself “that area needs to change but it is

part of me and I embrace it.  In my quiet times 

and my meditations”, I breathe.  And “I bathe in 

love and Light” the parts of me I would see shift.  

I do not fear them.  I embrace and bathe in love 

and Light all parts of myself and I breathe.  

In this healing space where I do not fear

parts of myself that need to be released, 

Infinite Spirit helps me to release these parts in 

their right time, so that I can progress.  

We have the promise of Eternal Progress open 

to every Soul.  And I remember that I am 

timeless and eternal.  Creator can stretch my 

little two minute stop in the bathroom to give 

me the time I need to breathe and reconnect to 

Infinite Spirit, Divine Creator of All that Is. 

May Creator bless you all.  And I thank my 

guides for all the help I received with this talk.

Hello Folks! Well, well, well…here we are in 2023! Not meaning to sound ancient, but where on Earth did 2022 go? We used to think we could jog well ahead of Father Time and it seems he’s rapidly catching up. So the anecdote for this?

“Make sure you make the daily moments count”

The saying you can’t live tomorrow and yesterday is gone so today is the only time we have and it is called the “present” is such a cliche, and so very true. Just how do you make each day and moment count, how do you go about doing that?

So much emphasis is placed on planning for tomorrow. TV ads are full of banking and investment opportunities with the future well planned out for the customer. It’s no longer good enough to think about tomorrow, you must plan, plan, plan.

Now there is nothing wrong with keeping an eye on the future….smart actually….it is when you pass over on those daily moments time can easily slip away. The moments that create memories in that very future you are planning.

 Standing still periodically on a very busy day thinking about self and taking those few precious moments in for self, is a good idea. A “good” way to start. A “better” idea is to catch those moments no matter where you are. Standing in line at the grocery store, buying gas, visiting an elderly parent, lunch duty at your child’s school, shovelling snow, carpool, paying bills, laundry.

The list goes on and on, and remember so does life. Just remember you are clever, just remember you are a thinker, just remember to take time to use your noggin and when you find those precious moments breathe deeply, shoulders back, knowing this the only moment in your life that matters.

No matter if you take those seconds and go to your “happy place” or think of something pleasant that can uplift the mood you are in. We tell our classes that negative words and thoughts need to be obliterated. Good, better, best for self in all things. For others too as long as you aren’t compromised in an unhealthy way. Of course the wise saying of Andrew Jackson Davis, the Golden Staff of Life…”In all things keep an even mind” is the “best.”

To close this Website Message I wanted to quote my great Aunt Lottie. She was a marvellous woman who lived a long, wonderful life. Aunt Lottie was very special to me, wise, caring, with warm wonderful hugs. She died when I was in my teens…along time ago. One of the last things she said to me was to quote someone famous, whose name I have long forgotten. I just remember her standing in her living room as I got dressed for the cold and very damp Halifax weather in December.

“Go forward, look upward, and you will find the clouds behind you and the sunshine before you.”

May Infinite Intelligence, the perfect love of Creator, warm your precious hearts, and give all of you health, wealth and happiness for our brand New Year of 2023. God Bless!

Hello Folks! Welcome back and we hope July was a month of having a holiday or two or at least some time to kick up your feet, being with family and friends.

Just to say our Church Services will begin on Sunday September 4th, at 10:30 a.m. For those who are new to our Website, we meet on the first and third Sundays of the month, from September – June. The months of July and August are set aside for re-charging, re-newing and re- setting ourselves and those who serve our Church throughout the year.
We love the Fall months! We will be missing the Manitoba summers of course, however, we now restructure how we will jump into the new Church Year.

Doesn’t it seem this would also be a good idea for your personal lives as well? I remember a friend talking about how it is so much easier to re-vamp her daily life if she sees it in black and white….on paper….in her hand.

This isn’t as much of a chore as you might think. You don’t need to take a whole lot of time to set this up. A few hints….just place a post-it note in your pocket and as you are running around, you brain going off in all directions, take a moment to jot down the points you want to remember for your new plan!

Included would be meal ideas that come up or a new habit you want to incorporate. Jot it down. For those who have a cell phone strapped to your hip, the “Note” app is great to have. You won’t have to stop and list as much as you think, as you only list those things that you feel will make a true difference to you.

On that note and before we close, maybe make this, the new Church year, one of attending? What is wonderful about our services, is that it is actually the one time out of your week devoted especially to you and your Spirit path. One hour and a bit more, just for you. Think of how often this happens in your day, your week, your month. This is not selfish, this is self-actualizing…renewing, recharging and relaxing, thinking of you and only you, and your importance to Spirit and to Infinite Intelligence.

You being in our physical world is no mistake! Come and let us show you how to re-start your Fall of 2022. Let us show you of the importance of you. How to re-vamp your “Triangle of Life” Physical, Spiritual and Emotional. Hope to see you soon, God Bless!

Good Morning Folks! We were asked by a few people to post the “Talk” from the last Friday before the summer months of July and August. We wanted the last service to be one of fun as well as contemplation.

We took turns reading the six pages of “sayings” and had a good time doing it! Some of these “sayings” have been around for decades! Some are funny and others make one think. If we knew the author of the saying, we placed the name down under what was said. Some of these gems are hundreds of years old, and some are modern gems. Enjoy!

.Let go and let God.

.A penny saved is a penny earned.

.A verbal wound can be as bad as a physical one.

.Change your underwear if you are going out. If you get into an accident, you don’t want anyone to see your drawers if you have holes in them.

.Looking outside of ourselves for answers is like looking for a light that we are already holding.

.You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.
-Winston Churchill

.It is hard to give unlimited power to limited minds. -Nicola Tesla

.Give the world your best and it may never be enough. Give the world your best anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.
-Mother Teresa

.A good walk sorts out everything! -Queen Elizabeth II

.The truth is, that the Universe has been answering you all your life, but you cannot receive the answers unless you are aware.
-Rhonda Byrne, author

.Hope is a tease, designed to prevent us from accepting reality.
-Maggie Smith, British actress

.Things that belong together are sure to come together.

.In life it’s important to know when to stop arguing and simply let them be wrong.

.Don’t trust everything you see – even salt looks like sugar.

.A ship is always safe at shore, but that is not what it is built for.
-Albert Einstein

.A smart person knows what to say. A wise person knows whether to say it or not.
-Dali Lama

.A wise man and a wise guy are two different types of men.

.Any fool can know, the point is to understand. -Albert Einstein

.When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the losers.
-Socrates

.Complaining about a problem without posing a solution is called whining.
-Teddy Roosevelt

.Politicians should wear sponsor jackets, like nascar drivers, then we know who owns them.
-Robin Williams

.Walmart: You go in for cookies and pudding and come out questioning the fate of the human race.
.It’s like my mom always told me. You might not be the dumbest guy in the world, but you better hope he doesn’t die.

.I’m fine – The second most told lie.
First on is “I have read and agree to the terms and conditions.”

.I’ve learned that just because somebody doesn’t love you the way that you want them to, doesn’t mean they don’t love you with all they have.

.We’ve learned that no matter how much we care, some people just don’t care back.

.It is best to give advice in only two circumstances: when it is requested, and when it is a life-threatening situation.

.Family doesn’t always want to be there for you. It may seem funny, but other people you’re not even related to can take care of you and love you and teach you to trust people again. Families aren’t biological.

.When you harbour bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere. – A Maritime quote
.You saying “I can” is more important that your “IQ”

.If you pray for your enemies, you will stop hating them.

.I’ve learned that first graders are the only ones who think it’s neat when a tooth falls out.

.If you wouldn’t write it down and sign it, you probably shouldn’t say it.

.Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes. (Our Mum Stephanie)

.A vino veritas….from wine comes truth!

.I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.
-Mark Twain, author

.I won’t eat anything that has intelligent life, but I’d gladly eat a network executive or a politician. -Marty Feldman, comedian and actor

.Lip service isn’t reality.
We’ve become accustomed to the life we live, we believe there is no other possibility, but of course there is.
-Dr. Julia Ogden
Murdoch Mysteries

.Just because you have a good sense of intuition, it doesn’t make you a “Medium.”
-Al Leray
Metis Elder

.Just because you are old, doesn’t mean you can’t reinvent yourself.

.Wine….because no good story ever started over a salad.

.You cannot afford to allow anything to come into your mind that would distract you from your goal or from your vision.

.Just because your road of life seems straight and boring doesn’t mean there isn’t a bend in the road that can change things.

.Just because you see things for what they are doesn’t make you a negative person.

.Just because you don’t have a lot of material things doesn’t mean you are lacking in creativity.

.Just because a creep made you feel useless, doesn’t mean you are.

.Cut off the crappy leaf when it’s the birds fault.

.When I woke up I hit the “delete” button on yesterday and then put my gear into forward and I don’t look back.
-Willie Nelson

.Buy once, buy well.

.Those who stir the pot of crap, should have to lick the spoon.

.Faith is based upon that which cannot be proven. “Without faith, there is no manipulation
Without manipulation there is no fear
And without fear there is no power.”

To end off this list of great “sayings” the best is left for last by our own Bardee Hubka.
“Not my circus, not my monkeys!”

Have a great summer folks and God Bless!