Keeping Calm When the Unexpected Happens

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Apr 222019
 
sunset, beach, florida, ocean, clearwater

Sunset at Clearwater Beach

Have you ever had something happen unexpectedly and your automatic pilot took over? 

Pew Breaking

This happened recently during two separate weddings on the same day.  The first wedding occurred in a historic chapel with wooden pews. In the middle of the bride’s vows, we heard a large yell as the pew cracked where three guests were seated. No one was hurt but they did have to move to a new pew.  As the laughter continued, I finally had to say,” Ok let the bride finish her vows”. The guests will always remember that wedding!

Groom Fainting

Later the same day I was officiating a ceremony in another historic building when the groom looked at me and said” I am really hot, I am going to get some water” near the end of the ceremony. I knew something was wrong and said “Ok” just as he fainted and fell backwards to the floor, He had to be taken to the hospital. His children were sitting on the front row when this happened.  I spent some time reassuring them that their father was going to be fine during the reception.  He was able to return later to finish the reception. He was even able to briefly dance with his bride.

Daily Meditations

My daily meditation practice has always helped me keep calm when something like this happens. It helps with normal everyday challenges but especially when something extraordinary happens out of the blue. The sunset above was a great place to meditate, basking in the splendour of nature.  An easy way to start is trying guided meditations

Vow Happenings

One of the more humorous occurrences happened during a wedding at The Bridge Club.  The bride changed “for the rest of your life” as she was repeating her vows to ” forever, and forever and forever”. It was a New Year’s Eve wedding and there was a little pre-ceremony celebration going on. I thought well that is close enough and smiled.

In another wedding, the bride finished repeating her vows after me, I turned to the groom and he said: “whatever she just said”. I said, “Oh, no it’s your turn”!

At Duke Gardens, before the wedding, the groom asked me ” Is it too millennial to read your vows from your phone, I left mine at home?” I pulled out my printed copy from the Ceremony book and handed him his vows. I always insist on having a couple of written vows before the ceremony. When the couple gets nervous,   the vows are sometimes forgotten.

Rain Cooperating

I was officiating a wedding at  The Matthews House in downtown Cary when the forecast called for rain. We started as soon as we could in hopes that the outdoor wedding would finish before the rain appeared. As I ended with the Apache Wedding Blessing “and now you will feel no rain for each of you will be shelter to the other” the guests laughed since the rain had been on everyone’s mind. Within minutes after the guests went inside, a deluge of rain appeared. We all felt blessed that the rain held off till the end.

No matter what situation you find yourself in, remain calm and take a breath! Our reality comes from our perception. When something unexpected happens, see it as an opportunity to learn rather than a problem. Your life will become much more fun and joy-filled!

 

 

Life-“Wow! What a Ride!”

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Jan 312018
 

I had the honor to officiate a “Celebration of Life”  for Dot Hussey, my brother-in-law’s mother, this past week.  She was 93 years old, but what life she lived. She married her sweetheart from junior high and lived in California and North Carolina for most of her life. When her husband died, she moved to Greensboro in her 60s to be near her sister after working for over 30 years in the insurance business. Dot started a new career working part-time at the Auto Auction until she was 88. She then moved to Wake Forest to a retirement home, but consistently broke the speed limit with her mobility scooter. She ran it full out as fast as it would go. Dot believed in using your body up before it was time to leave for the spiritual plane and she did just that. This saying was one of Dot’s favorites and fit her to a tee, from Hunter S. Thompson::

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke thoroughly used up , totally worn out and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!”

 

I believe that we are responsible for our happiness in life. In all areas of our life, we are either changing and growing or becoming stagnant and declining. This life is so precious that we should spend every minute of it finding our joy through work, family, relationships, and health. As we age we see others become less active around us and some even die early. The only thing I fear is the regret of not doing something I wanted to in my life. 

I always wanted to have a child, but I was 42 before my son was born. Many of our friends thought we were a little crazy to have a child at that age but he kept us young.

In my 50’s I was hit with auto-immune arthritis and had a double knee replacement. Six months later, I was white water rafting on Class 5 rapids in West Virginia.  https://aceraft.com/  Now my friends really thought I had lost my mind. My philosophy was why have the surgery if I could not do the things I wanted to do?

Many of us dream about the life we would like to lead, but simply don’t take the first step. Instead of saying “I can’t”, say “what if I did”?  Life consists of many small steps, taking the first one makes all the others easier. These fears don’t just pertain to adventure but also to emotional risk and fear of what others will think. 

I spent 35 years in biochemistry and public health laboratories.  In my 60s I decided to change careers and start an energy healing business from the encouragement of my spiritual mentors, Angela Coulter, http://trinityenergyprogression.com/ and Veronica Vela, http://www.healthecology.com/

 I came out of  the “Spiritual Closet” and became an ordained minister http://www.newearthaquarianchurch.org/

I soon began marrying couples in the community and found a new passion that I would never have believed possible. I truly feel connected to the couples that I  meet and feel honored to marry them. http://www.annmckenzie.net/

I am not sure what new phase of my life will occur in my 70s, but I hope it is as much fun as the others I have tried so far. One thing is for sure, I am always looking for something new to learn or do. After all, that is what makes life interesting. If you want to open up to your intuition and explore all the  possibilities waiting for you,  contact me at http://omnigirl.net/contact/

Celebrating Love Through Ceremonies

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May 212016
 

1F3A1695_1200x800 (2)jordan and bethWhen I became an ordained minister as an enhancement to my energy healing business, I did not envision becoming a wedding officiant. But soon after, everyone starting asking if I could marry couples. I thought what a wonderful event participate in. I knew living in North Carolina, I was given the opportunity to marry anyone who truly loved their partner and wanted to commit to each other through marriage. I started performing marriages, just as the same-sex marriage laws became legal in NC. I felt  in my heart, there was a bigger reason to my becoming an ordained minister when I did. I have been blessed with officiating weddings of all types.

Couples who decide to share their commitment of love with others through a spiritual ceremony , allow their friends and family to be a part of the joyous celebration. They declare their love for one another and their choice to spend the rest of their lives together through the good times as well as the difficult ones. As witnesses to this event, we declare our love and  support for them through the years without judgement .

My sister, Connie  and her husband, Jack, renewed their vows this year. Their son, Travis was part of the ceremony. Some friends who attended the ceremony ,had known them  from  the beginning of their 36 years of marriage. What a wonderful way to celebrate their love and commitment through the years.  They have found one of life’s greatest joys-giving of yourself honestly and courageously to each other, thereby enhancing your lives.

The look of love between the marriage partners is truly one of the most special moments , I have the privilege of sharing with others. Ceremonies embrace the essence of love ,and by sharing with others, you allow them the freedom to show love to those people who are important in their life. What a true blessing for the marriage partners and those who witness this ceremony.

As I was thinking of a subject for blogging today, a friend of mine posted on Face Book that her husband of 25 years died suddenly in his sleep last night.  I knew her love for him and how she must feel at this loss. The same thing happened to me after 14 years of marriage. You never know how much time we are have on earth, but the most important thing is to be true to your feelings and let others know how you feel. There is no greater gift you can give another person, than your love.