To paraphrase, most of us spend our lives hanging on for dear life to the old until something calls us to let go and take a leap of faith into the unknown. It can be terrifying, yet we know we must release our hold on the past (the old trapeze bar) and soar across the vast void of unknowing to reach the new one.

We may feel scared, excited, vulnerable, unsure of ourselves, confused, or disoriented, but this is where the real change happens… When feeling unsure of ourselves, we can reject our rigid thinking and make new choices that may bring unexpected benefits. As we give ourselves permission to hang out in this transition between trapeze bars, we learn to fly!

A good affirmation to say each day is “My life is filled with new opportunities, and it is safe for me to learn new things.”

As we move into the last few weeks of 2024 I invite you to spend some time looking back on what 2024 was about for you. Just BE present with what is. We are moving into 2025-a year of major change, right now we are in the growing pains of this shift of consciousness.

WORK WITH BARBARA

With just 21 days left in 2024, let’s make them count. Together, we’ll reflect on the lessons of this past year and prepare for the higher vibrational energy of 2025.

Personal Intuitive Readings & Rituals
Gain clarity, release old patterns, and align with your purpose. Gift certificates are available for the perfect holiday gift.

Barbara’s Magical Aromatherapy
Enhance your rituals or give the gift of sacred scents this season. Shop Here >>

Readings: Gain insights and clarity into your path ahead through personalized readings tailored to your spiritual journey. Available either in person or via Zoom. Book Now for clarity and guidance!

Rituals: Participate in ancient and modern rituals and ceremonies designed to align your energies and awaken your inner power. Learn More to embrace transformative rituals!

Energy and Space Clearings: Release stagnant energies and embrace rejuvenation with transformative energy cleansing sessions, both personally and for your home or office.

Corporate Events and Speaking Engagements:

• Empower your organization with practical tools for well-being, resilience, and inspiration.
• Elevate your team’s mental wellness, emotional intelligence, and performance with engaging talks and workshops.
• Download my one-sheet for more information on booking me as your catalyst for change!

Private Events:

• Make your celebrations extraordinary with personalized ceremonies and special touches.
• Contact our office to discuss how I can make your special occasion truly memorable!

Let’s step into 2025 consciously and powerfully. Book your session today and start the new year aligned and empowered.

UPCOMING EVENTS

I will be doing a few events early January to prepare you for Vision 2025. Stay tuned for dates!

Tuesday, December 10th: In-Person End-of-Year Celebration: Rituals to End the Year Consciously with Special Guest Astrologer Rebecca Gordon
6:30 – 8:30 PM
At Knosis: 7 West 22nd St, 8th Floor, NYC

Join me and special guest astrologer Rebecca Gordon as we close out 2024 with ritual, reflection, and wisdom to guide us into 2025.

REGISTER HERE

Sunday, December 29th: Spiritual Practices and Rituals to Open Up for 2025
2:00 PM
Unity of NY: St Michael’s Recital Hall, 225 West 99th St (NYC)

Free Attendence

Saturday, January 4th: Rituals for the New Year
2:00 – 4:00 PM
The New Center of Holistic Learning, NYC: 135 West 15th St
Save the Date

VISION WORSHOPS FOR 2025:
Shape Your Destiny

I invite you to join me for VISION 2025, an in-person retreat designed to help you create, manifest, and transform your life while aligning with a shared vision for a brighter, more unified world.

Imagine a weekend immersed in spiritual teachings, astrology, powerful rituals, vision boarding, and movement—all crafted to connect you with your highest potential and a community of kindred spirits committed to making a difference.

This isn’t just a personal journey; it’s an opportunity to co-create a collective future built on clarity, connection, collaboration, and purpose.

January 10 – 11th: VISION 2025 in Malibu
Friday 5:00 – 7:30pm and Saturday 11am – 4pm

REGISTER HERE

January 24 – 25th: VISION 2025 in NYC
Friday 6:30 – 9:00pm and Saturday 10:30am – 5pm

REGISTER HERE

These transformational gatherings will take place live (and possibly hybrid). I am looking for help to do the live stream so please contact us if you are interested in helping: info@barbarabiziou.com.

BARBARA RECOMMENDS

SoHarmoniums 2024 Winter Concert!
MONDAY, DEC 16, 2024 8:00 PM

SoHarmoniums Women’s Choir will present its holiday concert this December at the beautiful Fourth Universalist Society in the City of New York. Experience the joy of the holiday season!

You can read all the details in the flier below, or learn more and get tickets on the website. OR TO LIVESTREAM, click HERE.

Link

With love and light,
Barbara

Barbara Biziou Productions LLC
(212) 741-3358
Barbara@BarbaraBiziou.com
www.BarbaraBiziou.com
Like me on Facebook | Follow me on Instagram

The post From Fear to Freedom: Make 2025 Your Best Year Yet appeared first on Good News!.

Peter’s book launched this week. It’s sure to be a best-seller and already has been prominently featured in major media.
Get Peter’s autograph on your book this Friday.

When: June 14, 4-6pm
Where: 30 Rockefeller Plaza, NYC
Logistics: check in at lobby, proceed to 40th floor (Deloitte)
What: Introduction by Deloitte’s Lili Zheng, Author Talk, Q&A, Signing, Reception, Networking

Thanks,
Rebecca Fannin
Founder/Editor/Author
www.silicondragonventures.com

Top Author Talk and Happy Hour At Rock Center

Friday, June 14, 2024 from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM (EDT)

30 Rockefeller Plaza
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112

Organized by Silicon Dragon Ventures

#petergoodman #rebeccafannin #authortalk #HowTheWorldRanOutofEverythingTheGreatSupplyChainDisruption

The post Author Talk: Peter Goodman in conversation with Rebecca Fannin appeared first on Good News!.

Listen to “Rebecca Fannin latest book, Silicon Heartland Transforming the Midwest from Rust Belt to Tech Belt” on Spreaker.

Chronicling her return to America’s heartland, CNBC contributor Rebecca A. Fannin provides an optimistic and engaging look at the current entrepreneurial comeback happening in the Midwest, documenting its transformation from Rust Belt to Tech Belt.

The American Midwest was once a proud bastion of good-paying jobs and middle-class life. Recently it has come to evoke bleakness: job loss, opiate addiction, despair. But without fanfare, a pivotal movement has grown, quietly transforming the heartland into a high-tech hub.

In Silicon Heartland, tech journalist Rebecca A. Fannin returns to her hometown region to report on how tech ecosystems—of entrepreneurial talent, venture capital, accelerators, incubators, universities, and R&D—are retooling midsized heartland cities and Appalachian towns. Remote regions that were nearly forgotten when the money and power shifted to Silicon Valley—and to China—are being rebooted and reenergized like never before. This movement of tech startups burgeoning in Middle America bodes well not only for leading the region to greater heights, but also for boosting our economy and morale nationwide.

Structured around Fannin’s road trip across Middle America, her stories and interviews with venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, and business from the Midwest make for a personal yet comprehensive look at the economic rebirth of a region that has been overlooked and underestimated for far too long. Highlighting the successes and efforts that continue to surprise coastal elites, Fannin introduces the resourceful people and the behind-the-scene stories that are reinventing the American Midwest.

“No place or company is immune from getting disrupted—and Silicon Valley is no different. In Rebecca’s new book, Silicon Heartland, she explores the tech innovation frontier emerging in states that were once centers of commerce but were left behind when they didn’t adapt to new technologies.” — John Chambers, founder and CEO of JC2 Ventures, and former executive chairman and CEO of Cisco Systems

“An indispensable book for founders, investors, and change-makers.”—Jim Breyer, founder and CEO, Breyer Capital

“A book that inspires hope for our future.”— Ro Khanna, author of Dignity in a Digital Age

“An uplifting journey into America’s all-too-often overlooked Midwest…the untold story of the Rust Belt rising.”— Maëlle Gavet, CEO of Techstars and author of Trampled by Unicorns

“A must-read for anyone who believes that entrepreneurial success is only possible on the coasts. The Silicon Heartland welcomes you!”—Brad D. Smith, president of Marshall University and former chairman and CEO of Intuit

“[A] much-needed boost of optimism at a time when it’s vitally needed.” — Chris Fenton, author, Feeding the Dragon

“An insightful look into the rebirth of cities and a region that launched American leadership in the global economy.”— Dan Schwartz, author of The Future of Finance: How Private Equity and Venture Capital Will Shape the Global Economy

“Only Rebecca Fannin, with her venture background, China experience, and heartland roots, could uncover the amazing tech revolution occurring in the middle of America.”— David Kaufman, director of global strategies, Nixon Peabody

The post Rebecca Fannin latest book, Silicon Heartland Transforming the Midwest from Rust Belt to Tech Belt appeared first on Good News!.

Lady Liberty Brigade

The Meetinghouse

1400 Old Bartow Eagle Lake Rd. #4110

Bartow, Florida 33830

Voices from the Past Advocate for Mass Transit

Song:

Alabama–I’m in a hurry

Alabama — I’m in a Hurry

I’m in a hurry to get things done

(oh,) I rush and rush until life’s no fun

All I really gotta do is live and die

But I’m in a hurry and I don’t know why

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CICwZ01bT3w

            My grandfather was first to have a car in his community, a small town in Indiana—Francesville. It was an Essex.  Later he owned a Ford Motor Company dealership in a neighboring town—Monon.   In 2000, years after he was gone, I was walking alone over the fields of his beautiful Mill Farm where is a lake, a hill, a forest. It’s a sacred place where in days past the family reunion was held every 4^th of July.

Also, tragically, one 4^th of July, in 1935, young Paulie, my mother’s handsome, charming, gifted brother, crashed his airplane and was killed before them all, his girlfriend, Ruth, surviving.  He was only 21—my mother, 16. He had been so excited about his new plane, “Dad, you’ll see me flying in!”  He did fly in, but the next day, being a novice pilot, he shot up too quickly causing the plane to stall which meant the plane came straight down, nose first. It was a two-seater, Ruth behind him.  He had shouted to her, “Jump! Jump, for your life!”  But she had said, “No, no, Darling, I’m staying with you!”    Inconsolable, it was many years before she finally married.

In reverie, under the trees on the hill, feeling especially near to my grandparents and those who had gone before, in my spirit these words unmistakably came to me:

“Cars and trucks shall spiral down.  Railroads, mass transit, hiking and biking will spiral up and there will be quiet places amid the city for horse and buggy.”

 I then drove into Monon just in time to see what appeared to be a truck and car parade going down the main street of little Monon–like I was being shown how out of balance things were.  Immediately after this experience on The Mill Farm, there was the Firestone Tire Recall.

Back in the Bronx, where I lived at the time, I met an elderly gentleman, David Ashley, whose expertise was public transportation—he could tell you the history and present of mass transit in cities all over world—he loved trains.  He related the superior mass transit of Spain and Switzerland—also of some of our American cities which have free mass transit: Chattanooga, Savanah, and Seattle.   “Cars and trucks have become weapons of mass destruction causing 1/10 of the population to use up 9/10 of the resources,” he said.  The US ranks first in oil consumption at a rate of 20.7 million barrels a day. (Wikipedia)

The car industry did spiral down.  I wish I could have been an advisor to President Obama, “Don’t bail out the car industry. Put the money into trains, buses, and bike sharing.  Give the car employees train and bus jobs.”  I blame myself more than President Obama. I should have been more persistent and diligent in getting the message out.  Even now, there has been much recall in the car industry.  (Please see recall information below)

In New York, I didn’t need a car. On subway or bus, you can read, sleep, visit or watch people.  Once a sign in one of the subways read:  One subway car keeps 125 cars off the road.

Here in Bartow buses are infrequent during the week–no transportation on weekends or evenings.  Cars are a big expense—people dependent upon the bus are greatly limited in job opportunities.  Polk County is said to be #7 out of the top 100 areas for poverty, partly due to lack of a good transit system. (Brookings Institute) More people with jobs will mean a stronger economy and more taxes collected.  I believe good public transit will lower crime—people will be less stressed out.

On NPR, the Diane Rehm show, concerns were expressed about lenders too often giving car loans to those who are too poor to be reasonably expected to afford the payments.  They default on their loans and then have no way to get to work.

Elderly people, who don’t want to drive and really shouldn’t, feel they must if they want to get around.

Too many cars on the road and the lack of public transportation bring stress to everyone. Get Used to Gridlock on I-75, Experts Say, (Lakeland Ledger, 8/29/2014). It’s bad for the environment and the air we breathe.

In Viewpoint, Polk County Democrat, January 24, I read, “Mass Transit is alive and well in Polk County.”  Really?  I’ve been in many cities, and this is by far the worst.

For example, wanting to attend a meeting in downtown Lake Wales at 12:00, I call MY RIDE County Wide Transit Plan, 855-POLKBUS (765-5287) to enquire about getting there – a 30-minute trip by car.

   I am kept on hold for 8 minutes.  Finally, when someone answers, this is the route:  Be at the courthouse at 6:10 (This requires a 20-minute walk in the dark.).  Catch the 22XW to Winter Haven terminal.  Catch the 30 to Walmart, Eagle Ridge Mall in Lake Wales—a place I do not want to go.   For downtown historic Lake Wales, I will need to catch the 35 and it goes infrequently.  Let’s see, did I write down all the times the 35 leaves Eagle Ridge? Anyway, I can’t leave later than 6:10 or I won’t be able to make the connections to arrive at noon.   Now what about getting back to Bartow?  I am exhausted at the getting-there directions.  I feel I just can’t ask how to get back.  To go to an hour meeting would be an all-day project.

            Here in Polk County, I advocated for Mass Transit.  Sometimes I wore my Lady Liberty crown.  (www.ladylibertyqualityoflifebrigade.com) I was stunned by much of the reception I received  revealing a lack of vision and kindness:

            “I have a car.  I don’t need public transportation.”

            “I don’t want any more taxes.  Who’s going to pay for those buses?”

Do they realize how much the cars are subsidized? The roads?  In The Atlantic Monthly, January/ February 2015 Buses are for Other People, “Driving charges might be more compelling if we considered the full economic impact of auto dependence.  The secondary costs—from lost productivity to road accidents, to pollution. . .estimates are staggering. One scholar has put the total social cost of motor-vehicle use at as much as $3.3 trillion a year.”

When I wait with my bike on the corner of Wilson and Van Fleet and observe the noise and rush of all the trucks and cars whizzing by, I want to ask, “Where is everyone going in such a hurry?”  And if someone doesn’t move on the very second the light turns green, a horn will likely honk.

Contemplate all that is sacrificed for these cars—our pristine forests, wildlife and more and more of the earth is covered with concrete.

Song:

Alabama–I’m in a hurry

I’m in a hurry to get things done

(Oh,) I rush and rush until life’s no fun

All I really gotta do is live and die

But I’m in a hurry and I don’t know why

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CICwZ01bT3w

Rebel.  Get off the merry-go-round and out of the “the rat race.”  Take a walk-in nature. Amble down a lane led on by surprises. Ride a bike and discover a new path–so many beautiful places here in Florida.  Sit on a bench with a cup of coffee or tea, peanut butter balls* and your journal writing down thoughts that come on the wing. Hear the angels among the whisper of the trees.  Maybe your mother on The Other Side is trying to get through to you.  “Wherefore we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses.”  (Hebrews 12:1) Listen to a bird call.  Ride a bus with a book.  Notice who’s sitting next to you.

 I pray eyes be opened and perceptions enlarged to the importance of good public transit for all of us. As has been said, “What affects one segment of the population affects us all.” When we come to solutions, they are best for everyone concerned.  Mass transit benefits everyone. We may differ as to how the buses are paid for, but it should be a given—we must have mass transit.

A friend, Doug, who has had a near death experience, told me some years ago, “If you go too fast, you’ll age.” The faster you go, the less time you have.  So, consider, go slower—don’t always rush about in cars.  I challenge you—fast your car for a week.  Ride the bus, bike, catch a ride with someone else, borrow a car, or what about possibly walking? You’ll meet people, have adventures, and may be surprised by some divine appointments.

*peanut butter balls—these can satisfy your sweet tooth without being so bad for you.

Mix these 5 ingredients together: Peanut butter ( or almond butter—it’s better for you), dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, apricots, or cherries), nuts (I prefer walnuts); maple syrup (the good kind) or honey and dry milk (I prefer Alba—it’s from cows not treated with rBST) Roll in balls and put in refrigerator.

Notes:

Look at these recalls:

5 OF THE BIGGEST CAR RECALLS EVER:

 http://www.investopedia.com/slide-show/car-recalls/ –below copied from website.

• The Chrysler Group’s recall of 13,000 Dodge Chargers and Chrysler 300s due to anti-lock brake problems. Through the years they have let devastating design flaws slip through the cracks in the production line resulting in more than a million models recalled.
• Toyota’s Out-of-Control Gas Pedals, 2009 and 2010—Size of recall 9 million vehicles.
• Ford’s Failure to Park Recall.  21 million vehicles affected.  All vehicles between 1976-1980.In the largest auto recall to date, Ford was forced to repair 20 million vehicles after a safety defect in their transmission system caused more than 6,000 accidents. 1,700 injuries and 98 deaths.  Cost to Ford $1.7 billion
• The Tahata Seatbelt Scandal, 1995

8.3 million vehicles—Numerous models affected—Honda, Nissan, Chrysler, Mitsubishi, GM, Mazon, Suzuki, Subar, and Isuzu.  Between 1986-1995. The belts were prone to crash and jam, trapping the driver and passenger in their seats.  Replacement 8 million—estimated cost $1 billion

(5) Fire Strikes Ford Vehicles

Size of recall: 14 million vehicles—1996.

Models affected:  Numerous Ford models, including The Explorer, Bronco, F-Series, Trucks and Lincoln Town Cars

 What Happened? Just months after a faulty ignition scandal rocked the company, the Michigan automaker was forced to recall a massive 14 million vehicles after it was revealed that a small electronic switch used to deactivate the cruise control function when the brake was applied could overheat and start a fire. At the cost of $20 a switch, the fix is estimated to have cost the company around $280 million.

(6) Ford Ignition Problem, 1996

Size of Recall: 8.7 million vehicles
Models Affected: 1988-1993 models of Ford Aerostar, Bronco, Crown Victoria, Mustang, Escort, Tempo, and F-Series Trucks; Mercury Cougar, Grand Marquis and Topaz and Lincoln Town Car.
What Happened? During the late ’80s, the auto giant installed ignition switches in its vehicles that were prone to short circuit, leading to overheating, smoking and occasionally full-blown fires within the steering column. Sometimes the switches even ignited when the car was parked and turned off. Luckily, Ford managed to recall the flaming igniters before any injuries were reported. The incendiary mistake cost the company around $200 million.

Conclusion:

Though these might be some of the most expensive recalls to ever strike America’s auto industry, they certainly aren’t the last. Every day, government regulators and victimized consumers continue to uncover widespread oversights in automakers’ manufacturing process, forcing the industry to undergo ever-more recalls and “Safety Management Campaigns.” So, drive safely out there, because you never know which vehicle will be the next to be dubbed America’s most dangerous.

I did hear from my grandfather on the Mill Farm.

I add this funny story—some background:

My grandparents came over from Austria/Hungary in 1904.  Things were well for them in Europe, but they belonged to a church that didn’t believe in war.  My great grandparents didn’t want to give their sons for Europe’s wars. They felt led of God to come to America. Since they obeyed early, they did not come as refugees but brought their fine furniture, chandeliers, etc. on the boat.

 Later during World War, I and World War II family and friends lost their sons and their land.  My grandparents were often sponsoring people coming from the Old Country, which today is no longer Austria/Hungary, but Serbia.  Their town, Cvenenka, is 100 miles from Belgrade.

 The church also had quaint customs, some like the Mennonites and Amish.

My grandfather, one of the ministers, was progressive for his church and time.  For example, he had a radio, which he covered with a cloth so as “to not offend the brethren.”

One day an elder of the church was coming to visit by train.  This elder had a conviction against cars.  Since he was not met with horse and buggy as he expected, but my grandfather with his car, he was in a quandary.  What was he supposed to do?  He certainly had to be true to his conviction he felt God had given him. He elected to ride with one foot outside the car.

Passed down through the generations, my mother told this funny story with a laugh.  But now I’m thinking, “Maybe that elder had something and we shouldn’t laugh so much at him. Sometimes people have to be extreme on the other side to pull society over to the middle and more balance.”

As I am looking up this recall information, I am understanding more clearly the message I received on the Mill Farm.  Since my grandfather was so responsible for getting cars on the road, could it be that he now wants to be helpful to see what can be done to get things more in balance?

My grandparents were wonderful people—hardworking, generous, and thrifty—as opposed to some who are lazy, selfish, and wasteful.

He also had an International Harvester dealership in Francesville.  If people didn’t pay their bills, he did nothing about it—especially during the depression.  He was always there to help people.  Likewise, my grandmother’s hands—gardening, freezing, canning, and then giving out the Mason Jars—I remember, especially plums.  If there were any disagreements or bad feeling between any of us, she would touch our arm and say, “You go now and make peace.”

Peace?  Do cars vs mass transit have anything to do with making peace?

I did hear from my grandparents on Mill Farm.

Rebecca’s Memorial

I am grateful to be here in quiet, beautiful Topanga.  The place Rebecca loved.  I’m grateful to be with you, the family and friends who love her.  I’m grateful she passed in her home among the mountains.

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help.

My help cometh from the Lord who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 121

Some of you know the significance of the butterfly and how it has become a connection with Rebecca.

   Not many days before her passing Matt, Rebecca and I were in the main room.  I looked out the window and saw a white butterfly among the rosemary, “Oh, there’s a white butterfly in the rosemary!  Rebecca burst into tears.  She said she had asked God if she was going to be well to let her hear the word, “butterfly.”

Of course, we were thinking of her being healed in her mortal body.  But she’s healed!  She has the ultimate healing.  Several times she dreamed she was running.  She runs, she flies and as Matt said, “She’s dancing, drawing and designing.”

 December 3, I  walked with heavy feet to the mailbox.  All my thoughts.  Noah and Nate so young without their mother.   I was thinking to get a word and this word came, “Carousel.” I repeated it so I would be listening for that word. A word that would lead me to something I needed to know.

 When I got back to the house, Nate said, “Mimi, do you want to see the park I made on my phone?”

“Sure.’

He began giving me a guided tour “And here’s my carousel.”  Wow, the word!   It was delightful that there was a Presence to give a word I would hear.  But what did it mean?

A few days later Matt told of a dream he had of Rebecca.  I took this opportunity to ask him, “Does carousel mean anything to you?”

“No.”

Later that day I was out with Atrick, their dog.  She was running up and down the hills and I was throwing a ball to her.  I was praying about my family and our country. Suddenly, in my spirit, “What goes round and round?”  A carousel! And then I knew.

“Atrick, come!”  I ran in the house to click on a song!  A song with the words, “Are you tired of spinning round and round?”

Before when I had played this song, there was Evie, the soloist,  with her audience,  but now there were all these photos of butterflies. The title, “Give it all, Give it all, Give it all to Jesus.’’

Give Them All to Jesus – Evie Tornquist – YouTube

I cried.  I was comforted.

Later, when I told Jacinda this story, she said when she had been there previously, she had made a video of Rebecca and Nate going round and round in a carousel. I knew nothing of this.  But God did.  Rebecca did.  I have a picture to give you of Nate and Rebecca.  Also, one of my favorite pictures of Rebecca with Noah.

There are more butterfly stories which are on the Memorial Page.   I’ll tell one more. When I returned to Topanga in June, Jeff, Matt’s Dad brought me to the bottom of the steep hill going up to their house.  Matt came down  As we both got in his car, a white butterfly flew in the window, across the car and back out!  Rebecca was happy we were together.

Rebecca was remarkably cheerful and patient all those months.  Of course, sometimes she cried.  She continued to help Nate and Noah with their schoolwork.   And go over Matt’s book. She was not a complainer.  She would say, “When you get a chance, could you. . .?’ I felt I had to say to her, “Rebecca, don’t hesitate to ask me to do something.”

Several times Rebecca quoted, ‘‘In everything give thanks.”  What? There she was in her wheelchair saying, “In everything give thanks.”  In recent days I’ve thought about this a lot. “In everything, give thanks.” I’m familiar with that verse.  Yes, to give thanks for good things, but everything?  The seemingly bad things? I’ve known in my head that that was right. But have I really been putting this into practice?  No, I haven’t.   I made a list of things I wished were different and pronounced over them, “In everything give thanks.”   Today, especially we need this.  We need to guard our minds against negativity. When a person goes to war, they go through boot camp.  If one is going to be in the Olympics, there is training—not all of it easy.  “In everything give thanks” is in the armory of the Spirit.  Everything in the physical is a shadow of the reality in the Spirit.  Many have said this, including Plato. ‘While we look not at the things that are seen but the things that are not seen.  The things that are seen are temporal; the things that are not seen are eternal.”  (II Corinthians 4:18)  In everything give thanks enables us to see things from another perspective, to see behind the scenes where we can be better guided to know what to do. In guarding against negativity, we should not affirm that which we do not want to continue.   It enables us to see The Invisible, to enlist the Invisible Host. Things may not be as they seem.

“In everything give thanks” is not easy.  It takes practice.  We can understand something, yet not be proficient in it.  A tennis instructor illustrates what to do—you understand, but you don’t immediately become an expert tennis player.

I called Mark Wallace, one of Rebecca’s professors at Swarthmore.  We talked for an hour and 16 minutes, and we felt Rebecca heard everything.  I was hoping he might have some of Rebecca’s writings. He said “unfortunately they had been renovating his office and he had been throwing everything out.”  However, later he emailed, “Absolutely a miracle ; you suggested I look in my office  one last time; I was convinced nothing was there but, lo and  behold, there it was:”

   Surely the angels preserved that particular paper!

He wrote:

I enjoyed Rebecca’s Statement of Purpose to Berkeley you posted at the memorial site. I hear the clarity of her distinctive voice in this statement. I can’t believe it is 20 plus years old; it sounds like she wrote it yesterday. I don’t understand why she passed, what sense it makes for such a vibrant and visionary young woman to be taken from you and her family and other loved ones and friends. But then I recall the hymn, It is Well With My Soul, whose author penned this haunting song during a terrible time in his own life, and I think perhaps some comfort, if not comprehension, can be found in times of terrible loss

Yes, we identify with what her professor has expressed.

From the end of the earth will I cry unto Thee.

When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock

that is higher than I.

Psalm 61:2

For where your treasure is, will be your heart also.

I

            Sometimes sorrow and joy hold hands.

As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.

II Corinthians 8:10

 This I believe— All of Rebecca’s hard work, and everybody knows she was a hard worker, her standard of excellence is not for naught. She carries it with her.  On The Other Side we begin where we left off.   Nothing is wasted.  This I believe with all my heart. I am comforted.

People say, ‘It’s not fair.”  Not fair.

   Our time on earth.  All around us are unfair things.   The earth is full of seemingly unfair things. We are here to experience life. To make mistakes, to learn, to grow.  We need to guard our minds against negativity.  How can we be conquerors with no conquest? How can we be overcomers with nothing to overcome?  If there is no sadness, how can we know joy? Our life is a vapor. Rebecca’s life was short but even if you live to be as old as I am—82—life is a vapor.  When you are my age, you are no stranger to sorrow.  My husband passed when we were both 29.

Yes, all of us have experienced seemingly unfair things—how do we respond?

Also, probably most of us have done unfair things to others.  I know I have.  And to people I love. I want to be forgiven.

This is something else that Rebecca was diligent about.  She forgave.  She cared about resolving issues in relationships.  I remember one letter especially she wrote.  How important to forgive and be forgiven—to ask for forgiveness.   It’s foundational for earth school. We all have these challenges.  It’s foundational for world peace. And we know Someone—the Prince of Peace who said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.’

`Forgiveness, along with love.  When Rebecca was 5 years old, she recited the love chapter, I Corinthians 13 for my cousin, Stefanie’s wedding.    It’s a good chapter for us all to memorize.  Just a few phrases.

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. . .

Love suffereth long, and is kind. . .

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things

Love never faileth.

For now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face to face; now I know in part. . .

Rebecca and I told each other our stories.  Some of the things we knew about each other’s lives were sketchy.  We filled in the details.  Near death experience testimonies speak of a life review.  In a sense, we had a preview life review.

Many near-death experience books have come into my hands without my initiative. One  told of a mother in the spirit world walking along her physical son trying to tell him something.   He couldn’t hear anything she was saying. It was a different vibration.

Everything vibrates. Gratitude is the easiest way to raise our vibration.  We’re thrown a curve ball, things are not turning out like we want.  Throw the devil a curve ball,  In everything, give thanks.  Helen Keller said, “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full of the overcoming of it.”  John Lewis was asked about how did current protests compare to the ones he was in.  He said, “Well,  there is one thing that is different..  Singing.  They sang.”We must sing.  We must sing in the dark. And not be part time soldiers. Singing only in the sunshine.  Just condemning something doesn’t fix it.  In fact, it can make it stronger as we focus on what we don’t want instead of what we do want.  Covid.  In everything give thanks.  We need to change the energy, the vibration.

Rebecca had perseverance and character.  If Rebecca in her wheelchair could say, “In everything give thanks, then what about us?  Rebecca was reflective. In a writing she challenged landscape architects “to identify for urban dwellers the places to get lost. . .those places that allow for contemplation.”

Rebecca loved nature and beauty. She loved planting things.  She spoke of neighborhood gardens and green space and how our actions affect the land and vice versa.

December 27:

 I took my journal and sat on a tree stump surrounded by sage and the majestic Topanga mountains.   I felt so close to Rebecca. I texted my friend, Ed, the son of my friend, Elaine, who has passed on.

People on The Other Side can be close to us because we sit in heavenly places.

      Ed’s son, David, had been killed in Afghanistan… He texted back:

This is a great revelation you get about heavenly places. I talk to David daily and Elaine. . .and I believe they hear me, both being in that great cloud of witnesses.

A warm feeling comes over me.

  And hath raised us up together and made us sit together

in heavenly places . . .

Ephesians 2:6

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses. . .

Hebrews 12

But I do not want you to be ignorant concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.

I Thessalonians 4:13

From her Statement of Purpose:

“Modern society and urban living have cast us out of our natural habitat, but we must find our way back to the Garden.”

   We must find a way back to the “Garden.” Garden. .capitalized. I once had a stone to put on the ground with this inscription; “I heard Your Voice in the Garden.”  There’s an old song, ‘I come to the Garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses. And The Voice I hear, falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses.  And He walks with me and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own. . .”

Rebecca’s in the Secret Garden.  Noah and Nate, your mother is in the Secret Garden.  You will find her there in The Secret Place of the Most High.

Secret Garden – Song From A Secret Garden – YouTube

Rebecca, we carry you with us until we see your face again.

“As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,

And at the last, He will take His stand on the earth.

Even after my skin is destroyed,

Yet from my flesh I will see God,

Whom I, on my part, shall behold for myself,

And whom my eyes will see, and not another.”

You Raise Me Up

You Raise Me Up So That I Might Stand on Mountains, Andre Rieu

André Rieu – You Raise me Up – YouTube

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary
When troubles come and my heart burdened be
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence
Until You come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up to more than I can be

Songwriters: Graham Brendan Joseph, Loveland Rolf

The post Rebecca / voices from the past advocate for mass transit appeared first on Good News!.

On Friday, October 21, 2022, global business leaders, philanthropists, socialites, and celebrities came to support Mommy’s Heart to benefit abused and neglected children and families struggling through the family court system. Mommy’s Heart is the only organization of its kind providing much needed legal and mental health services to eligible families suffering retaliation by their abusers for reporting violence.

The evening included cocktails, dinner, dessert, a silent auction, and live entertainment by cellist Chris James and celebrity comedian Dan Nainan in a private Fifth Avenue residence in Manhattan’s upper east side. The event was generously catered by Amaranth Restaurant. Appetizers included lentil vinaigrette caprese salad with mixed green vegetables accompanied by thin crispy focaccia with robiola cheese from Amaranth’s brick oven. Guests were served entrées of Lobster ravioli alla vodka, mediterranean branzino filet with spinach, baby chicken poussin with mashed potato and asparagus, and veal scallopine alla provençale with jasmine rice. Alcohol for the evening was generously provided by McCabes Wine & Spirits. Guests enjoyed gift bags by Diptyque of scented notebooks, coasters, and signature fragrance.

Other sponsors included Le Maison du Chocolat, Serafina, Custom Candle Company, Zitomer, Eros Flowers NYC, and Morton Williams Supermarkets. The host committee included Sean Stone, Billy Bob Thornton, Sally Kirkland, Charles Matthau, and Florence Anthony. Guests included Assemblywoman Rebecca Seawright, representing the East Side of Manhattan, former District Attorney Charles Guria, Esq., Dr. JP Farrell, and Craig Herskowitz, Esq. Board members, Michael J. Golia, Esq., Myles von Trapp, Lorraine Silvetz, MSW, Paige Bluhdorn, and Noelle Dunphy were also in attendance. Additional notable attendees included Joycelyn Engle and Joseph Di Palma, Edward Drengot Stroh, Andrew Reese, Julia Lindenthal, Eliza Williams, Miss China USA, Renee Yuting, Rianna Polin, Brett Peck, Art Hotz, Diane Poole-Chessin, Nicole J. Chessin, Esq., Dr. Robert Silvetz, Alec Andronikov, Farzana Niemann, Barbara Tate, Dr. Awadhesh Gupta, Eleanor Vale, Esq., and Chanel Korby. Photographers for the evening included Michael Ostuni/Patrick McMullan Company and Jeff Smith.

Mommy’s Heart is honored to report its alliance with Assemblywoman Rebecca Seawright, who announced her endorsement of Mommy’s Heart and that she will work with the organization to create new legislation to support human rights.

Lorraine Silvetz, MSW, Director of Mental Health Services at Mommy’s Heart and Executive Director of Global Stress Initiative under the auspices of the International Committee Against Mental Illness (ICAMI) announced, during the evening, the positive results received by a Mommy’s Heart client after a one month’s treatment for PTSD utilizing their non-invasive protocol, individualized transcranial magnetic stimulation (iTMS). This treatment, valued at over $12,000, is administered at a Global Stress Initiative clinic affiliate in Syosset, New York, five days a week, for 40 minutes each day and includes 3 EEGs or brain scans in the first month of treatment. In their experience, they’ve had 99% efficacy treating PTSD for the military, domestic violence and other survivors of trauma.

“I am proud to be on the board of a nonprofit that is much needed in America today. Not only does domestic violence need to end, but the court needs to stop re-victimizing us,” said board member Noelle Dunphy.

Actress Julianne Michelle (Reeves Stroh), LMSW, founder and executive director of Mommy’s Heart, urged guests to please reach into their heart and their wallet to donate what they could afford to give to this 501(c)3 that hits close to home, as many board members suffered from domestic violence or had parents who abused or neglected a spouse or the children. “There are so many wonderful causes. However, our children here at home are in crisis, and we need to take action now. Failure is not an option. We are so grateful to Assemblywoman Rebecca Seawright and DA Charles Guria for their support and attendance. We are so grateful to all those who donated to our cause.”

The evening raised significant funds for abused and neglected children and families.

Lei Hua Chay, Julianne Michelle, Keith Jensen
Photo by: Jeff Smith

To learn more how you can help, please visit www.mommysheartfoundation.com

Mommy’s Heart, Inc.: Mommy’s Heart is a 501 (c) 3, which provides free legal representation and mental health services to fit mothers and children, who have been subjected to intimate partner violence and have been victimized by the civil rights violations of the family court system. Mommy’s Heart provides much needed resources to eligible parents, so that no parent ever has to fear losing a child to their abuser for reporting violence.

Connect @mommysheartfoundation

mommysheartinc@gmail.com

The post Mommy’s Heart Fall Soiree appeared first on Good News!.

Click on Image to Enlarge…

Models include Rita Cosby, Robbie Canner, Diana Sorkin, Isabel Lopez, Lorraine Silvetz, Gigi Nunez, ReBecca Ricks, Alyssa Casa, Sara Johnson Kaplan, Yasmeen Gumbs-Breakenridge, Meenal Manikandan, Donna Sousa, Cherie Corso, Flora Pllumaj, Paulina Apice, Dr. Elisa English, Sonia Texeira Couto, Kayla Kotsch, Paris Zelyakovsky and Cory Orosz Photo Credit: Jeff Smith

Avadora Mimouni Collection was featured at Prestige Models NYFW show 2022. Model and Designer, Avadora Mimouni, is a gem, as is her line of “wearable art” luxury bags adorned with semi-precious stones and upcycled materials. They are becoming increasingly popular among women who want to look and feel like the gems they are. Inspired designer and model, Avadora Mimouni was born in the Azores archipelago of Portugal. Avadora’s creative ways started in her youth. She expressed herself through theater and modeling in fashion boutiques. She moved to Manhattan in 1994. She soon pursued modeling and graced the covers of magazines, walked prestigious runways, and appeared in acting roles. Her latest role is as an inspired designer, helping make the world and its inhabitants more beautiful.

Lorraine Silvetz, Rita Cosby, Rebecca Ricks

Photo Credit: Jeff Smith

Donna Sousa, Yasmeen Gumbs-Breakenridge, Sonia Teixeira Couto
Photo Credit: Jeff Smith

In 2017, Avadora attended an event wearing a one-of-a-kind purse she created and was surprised by the immense adulation. She was immediately inspired to launch her Avadora Mimouni Collection that same year. Her collection received dramatic admiration from women of all ages. Her startling and gorgeous luxury bags are “wearable works of art,” making those who carry them look and feel more beautiful.

Rita Cosby                ReBecca Ricks           Meenal Manikandan
Photo credit: Dez Santana Photo credit: Jeff Smith Photo credit: Dez Santana

Avadora Mimouni Collection inspired many former models from the 90’s, 2000’s to return to the runway, during NY Fashion Week 2019, 2020, and 2022, to strut their stuff for the camera while making a difference in the world. Her luxury “wearable art” bags inspired the models to not only look their best but to promote causes, far and wide, through their inspired “fashion runway advocacy”. Several of the models who appear in Avadora’s NYFW shows became active in philanthropy after their modeling careers.

Sara Johnson Kaplan                  Jennifer Harrison                    Isabel Lopez
Photo credit: Getty Images

Not only do these models know how to talk the talk, but they also walk the walk on the runway: Proof that a woman can “strut her stuff,” make a difference in the world and be fabulous at any age! The world needs a message that celebrates timeless beauty; it is more than skin deep and does not end at age 30!

Lorraine Silvetz            Lorraine Silvetz & Rita Cosby
Photo credit: Jeff Smith

Several of Avadora Mimouni collection’s models are today’s entrepreneurs, TV anchors, therapists, doctors, actresses, executive directors of foundations among other notable accomplishments. One of the star models, is 3 Time Emmy Award Winning Anchor and NY Times Best Selling Author, Rita Cosby. One need only look at her biography to not only see her incomparable list of accomplishments but all her long list of advocacy and support for a multitude of great causes. Rita is spokesperson for another Avadora Mimouni model, Lorraine Silvetz, MSW, foundation,Global Stress Initiative treating veterans, domestic violence and human trafficking survivors with PTSD. Lorraine has served as the face of Avadora Mimouni’s Collection for 2021-2022. All of the mature models (age 35 and up) have either founded, currently support, or lend their personalities to foundations that work to help those in need.

Diana Sorkin    Cory Orosz     Cherie Corso
Photo credits: Getty Images

After close to two years of being unable to attend events due to the pandemic, everyone is ready to get out and be seen supporting good works. And, they’ll want to do it in style! No woman will want to be without their AVADORA MIMOUNI luxury handbag as they enter the world stage yet again. The Imperial Collection will bring the wearer back to the old-world glamour and beauty of classic cinema sirens like Rita Hayworth, Marilyn Monroe, and Ava Gardner.

Robbie Canner             ReBecca Ricks & Avadora Mimouni      Flora Plumaj
Photo credit: Getty Images Photo credit: Jeff Smith Photo Credit: Getty Images

All women agree that you cannot wear an Avadora Mimouni bag without making a statement, being asked where you got it, who designed it since they steal the show wherever you go. They are beyond unique and beautiful, and each one is one of a kind, just like the woman who wears them.

Elisa English and Avadora Mimouni   Flora Pllumaj & Lorraine Silvetz     Cindy Marinangel,                                                                                                                                              Avadora Mimouni,                                                                                                                                             Errol Rappaport
Photo credit: Jeff Smith

The designer and acclaimed model, Avadora Mimouni, illustrates that beauty is timeless, and her gorgeous bags symbolize each woman as a precious gem. Her luxury bags adorned with semi-precious stones remind the wearer of the luxury purse that they genuinely are.  And, let’s face it, the more we feel like precious gems, the more we act that way, and so the world becomes a better and more beautiful place – one gem at a time.

Back row: Elisa English, Isabel Lopez, Flora Pllumaj, Robbie Canner, Jennifer Harrison, Cory Orosz, two guest models, Allysa Casa, Diana Sorkin, Cherie Corso and Paulina Apice
Front row: Gigi Nunez, Lorraine Silvetz, guest model, Rebecca Ricks, Sara Johnson Kaplan, Sonia Teixeira Couto Front: The divine designer, Avadora Mimouni

#avadoramimouni #avadoramimounicollection #ritacosby #rebricks3 #coryorosz #isabeloriginal #jenniferdevin111 #pauliapice2914 #sarieny1 #prestigetopmodelnyc #errolrappaport #gigi_nunez #flogplu #robbiecanner @isabeloriginal @originallivingmagazine #alyssacasa #kayla_kotsch #cheriecorso #mylifeyasmeen #meensmanik #makeoverartistry #reflectionsnyc #soniateixeiracouto #paris.zelyakovsky #dezsantanaphoto

Article written by Lorraine Silvetz, MSW

The post Avadora Mimouni’s Collection: An Unforgettable Gem! appeared first on Good News!.

The summer is fast approaching which presents a host of skin-related seasonal challenges, from sunburns, and heat and humidity that threaten our freshly made-up face to pesky mosquito bites. While we can’t control the humidity or the temperature, we can prepare ourselves for the dog days of summer with a little help from former Survivor contestant and make-up artist on The View, Rebecca Borman.

#rebecca #borman #celebrity #make #up #skin #glow #dog #days #summer #sunburn #heat #humidity #face #mosquito #bites #temperature #survivor #view #seasonal

The post Defending Your Skin’s Glow During the Dog Days of Summer! “Classic Good News” 07/27/07 appeared first on Good News!.

Statement of Purpose
Rebecca Hill

Lucky is the person who can find a profession that closely matches her skills and ideology. I am lucky. A crooked path I took in this discovery, meandering through biology, education, religion, and art before I found a field of study that could integrate all these interests and speak to my convictions. In fact, up until a year ago, I had never even heard of landscape architecture. At the time, I was applying for a six-month internship at Slide Ranch an environmental education center located in the coastal wilderness near Muir Beach. It was while living in this community that I learned of landscape architecture, and when I heard, my heart said, “YES!”

Slide Ranch is a small, hundred-year-old farm where one can witness the interface of wild and tamed beauty in a single view. It has, as its mission, a desire to promote to its visitors a personal sense of connection to the natural world and a more sustainable use of natural resources. During my year stay, these values were also strengthened in me. The population we most served were urban youth—kids from San Francisco or other Bay Area cities that would come to the ranch for a few hours or, in some cases, a few days.

What an experience to see them bound off the bus, excited and rowdy, often turning their nose up at the rustic, non-linear surroundings. I would smile secretly know that, within 24 hours, the natural beauty of the place would calm and balance them, allowing for deep breaths and reflective thoughts. One boy from San Francisco, who had been at Slide Ranch for three days, wrote, “I like it here because it is pretty, and I am near the ocean and I can think.” “Children are more deeply affected by the environment than any other age group,” and “[they] learn from the environment what society values” (Marcus and Sarkissian, 109). I realized it was the communing with nature, above all else, that provided these kids with a sense of order and calmed their urban spirit.

As much as I loved sharing Slide Ranch with those who came from the city, I realized that traveling 45 minutes in a car to a remote area is next to impossible for many. The natural world had to be brought to them, and while they could not get the full experience, a neighborhood garden, a small green space in the housing project could be the next best thing and go a long way to restoring the soul.

As creations of nature, I believe it is necessary for our well being to have some intimate connection to the natural world. Of course, we are and always have been dependent on the land—a symbiotic relationship, where our actions affect the land and vice versa (Hough, 240-241) The problem is this is difficult to remember when we are surrounded by pavement and imagine our food to sprout from the aisles of Safeway. As landscape gives way to cityscape and our association with nature declines, we feel less connected to the world—isolated from the cycles in which we evolved and thrived and disconnected from other members of our species. More gardens and well-designed green space could change that providing connectedness, a basis for socializing, time for contemplation, and source for neighborhood revitalization (Francis and Hester, 247). Urban landscapes could be used to decorate, “enhance urban climate, create wildlife habitat. . .produce food” (Hough, 241), and bring people together in viable way (Francis and Hester, 247): in short, they could allow the land and the people to participate in the natural processes that they are wont to do. I want to be involved in this process. I want to be in a profession that can give people the tools and the power to change their environment and promote the coming together of separate souls to create a synergy of change.

I could write of my love of gardens, my appreciation of art, my gravitation towards the technical—though, with my background in scientific research and gardening, I feel it is apparent. These motivations play a large part, but what really drives my desire to become a landscape architect is the opportunity to act on my belief that the quality and beauty of a person’s environment directly contributes to his/her health, happiness, and sense of worth. Modern society and urban living have cast us out of our natural habitat, but we must find our way back to the Garden, for it there that humans have the most direct connection with the spiritual—a communion we have created to foster.

Bibliography
Hough, Michael. (1984) City Form and Natural Process: Towards a New Urban Vernacular.
New York: Von Nostrand Reinhold Company.
Francis, Mark, and Randolph T. Hester., eds. (1990). The Meaning of Gardens. Cambridge:
The MIT Press.
Marcus, Clare Cooper, and Wendy Sarkissian (1986). Housing as if People Mattered. Berkeley:
University of California Press.
May we let what Rebecca has written inspire us. What is your Statement of Purpose?
Here are some current articles:
Fixing What Highways Destroyed by David Leonhardt, NYT: May 28, 2021
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/28/briefing/us-highways-destruction-sugar-hill.html
How Art is Retelling Powerful Stories of Tulsa Massacre Capturing Communities’ Hope, PBS, May 28, 2021
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/28/briefing/us-highways-destruction-sugar-hill.html

Security is in the Secret Place

I sent this Christmas, 2017, when all my children, grandchildren, siblings, nieces, and nephews were safe but near hurricanes, fires, and shootings. Now we’ve experienced 2020 and 2021. Are we prepared for whatever the future may hold?

Where is security? I encourage you to memorize Psalm 91—it’s The Protection Psalm. Many give testimony of its saving their lives. Some books with these testimonies: Psalm 91: Real Life Stories of God’s Shield of Protection and What This Psalm Means for You and Those You Love. By Peggy Joyce Ruth. There are books for Military, Mothers, Children—all with true stories of the power of this Psalm. If you’ve read my book, They That Sow in Tears, you know this Psalm saved my life. We’re not to be afraid. As this Protection Psalm is in your sub-conscious mind, its positive vibration will feed your soul. Also, it’s good for our brains to memorize. 

Answering: How did 9/ll affect you?

SECURITY IS IN THE SECRET PLACE

I lived in Riverdale in the Bronx, less than one hour by subway from the World Trade Center. The morning of 9/ll I went to vote. I half heard some ladies talking something about, “Isn’t it terrible? The World Trade Center. . .” But my mind wasn’t focused on this conversation. I was thinking of my new grandson, Jonathan, born just three days earlier on the eighth.
As soon as I got home, I called my daughter in Tallahassee, Florida, to see how they were doing.
“Mom!” she exclaimed, “We’ve been trying to call you but couldn’t get through! The World Trade Center. . . .”
It was she who told me. I flipped on the TV as she spoke. However, only one channel was broadcasting because of what had been done to the towers. Finding that one, I, like most Americans, watched all day.
In my first reactions, I wondered, what other things were going to be blown up. Should I get out of New York City? And if so, what should I take with me? But where would be a safe place to go?
However, as days passed, and I heard of military plans, increasing security at the airports, etc., I instinctively knew that security did not rely in these measures. Physically, no matter how much money was spent, there was no way that one could foreknow where to put policemen, scanners, and the military for certain safety. There could only be one antidote for fear—Security is in the Secret Place. Victory is only possible through weapons of the Spirit—love, joy peace, prayer, praise, faith, food, clothing, shelter, etc. If ever there was opportunity to learn this, it is now.
“911,” people said, “The emergency number.” However, God has a 911 number—Psalm 91:1: “He that dwelleth in the Secret Place of the Highest shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” This Psalm became an anchor for me: “Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror. . .He shall give His angels charge over thee. . .” I determined to be motivated by love and develop my inner listening powers.

Security is in the Secret Place

God’s 911# Psalm 91:1

To Memorize: Read aloud for 10 days. Then shut the Bible and stumble through the best you can. Open and see where you missed. At the end of a month, or less, you will have memorized it. For children who can’t yet read: Read it for 10 days. Then leave out words for them to fill in—more and more until it is memorized. You might start with shorter Psalm 23 or 100. Psalm 27 is good for fear.

He (She) who dwells in the Secret Place of the Most High
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress:
my God: in Him will I trust.
Surely, He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler,
and from the noisome pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers,
and under His wings you shall take refuge.
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid for the terror by night;
Nor for the arrow that flies by day;
Nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness;
Nor for the destruction that wastes at noonday.
A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come nigh you.
Only with your eyes shall you behold and see the reward of the wicked.
Because you have made the Lord, who is your refuge, even the Most High, your
dwelling place,
No evil shall befall you, neither shall any plague come nigh your dwelling.
For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.
They shall bear you up in their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone.
You shalt tread upon the lion and cobra:
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
Because he hath set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him.
I will set him on high because he has known My name.
He (she) shall call upon Me and I will answer him (her):
I will be with him (her) in trouble; I will deliver him (her), and honour him (her).
With long life will I satisfy him (her) and show him (her) My salvation.”

There is a Hebrew word, Tikkun which means “to heal, repair, and transform the world.” We each have a tikkun–something we are supposed to do to heal, repair and transform the world.” We should help each other do what we are created to do. With God nothing shall be impossible.
Copyright, 2021—this means you have the right to copy and let the wind carry it. ?

Here is Rebecca’s Memorial Page:

https://www.forevermissed.com/rebecca-hill-leising/about

Please go to A Butterfly for Rebecca–also statement from her Swarthmore College

The post Rebecca’s Statement of Purpose- shared with us by Sheilah Hill appeared first on Good News!.

May 15, 1973–October 7, 2020

Memorial Page: Submitted by Sheila Hill

https://www.forevermissed.com/rebecca-hill-leising/about

Rebecca and Matt Donham had an office in the same building as Good News Planet–33 Flatbush, Brooklyn. Raft Landscape Architecture.

The post What is Love for Rebecca Hill Leising? appeared first on Good News!.

September 26, 2020:

I look out the window. “Oh, there’s a white butterfly by the rosemary!” I am standing by Rebecca massaging her feet and Matt is sitting with his computer at the table nearby.

Rebecca starts to cry. She says she had asked God if He was going to heal her to let her hear the word, “butterfly.”

In the spring, at dinner I had asked, “What three B’s are in the rosemary? Rebecca had quickly answered, “Butterflies, Birds and Bees” The rosemary had been flooded with white butterflies, the buzzing of bees and the flitting of little birds. But now, there are no butterflies. It’s not their season to be here. They’ve been gone for months. That’s why this one is so noteworthy. This one at just the moment I look out the window. A butterfly for Rebecca.

Rebecca has told us several times, “I dreamed I was running!”

September 28, 2020, Rebecca and I take communion.

This do in remembrance of Me.
Luke 22:19

It just happens to be Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

September 30, 2020

This is the day Rebecca is taken to the hospital. Because of her breathing Matt gives her CPR and I call 911..

Nearly 20 people come. More CPR. As they are taking her to the hospital, a paramedic says, “I think she will survive. Her heart rhythm is strong.”

October 1-6, 2020

We cannot visit her, but we Facetime her. She looks beautiful. Once her eyes are open. She looks directly at me.

October 4, 2020

The neurologist comes by. “There is no brain activity,” he says. This means she’s gone. Even though her heart is beating.<.p>
October 7, 2020

How grateful we are for Hospice—they arrange for Rebecca to come home—home to the mountains for her last physical earth moments. Noah and Nate hug their mother and say “Good-bye.” Their looks are somber and tear my heart. We gather around—Matt, Noah, Nate, Jeff and Tracy, Matt’s parents, and Adam, Matt’s brother and me.
Jacinda, Jack, their children, Abigail, Robert, Jonathan, Patrick Anabelle, Philip, Sondra and her family, Melissa and Melanie, dear friends from as long ago as high school, —they all Face Time.

We speak to Rebecca and believe she hears us. I rub her feet as I so often have done.

Psalm 121 is read:

I will lift up mine eye unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

After which the doctor takes the respirator out. I hold Rebecca’s right hand and Matt, her left. Her hand moves slightly in mine a few times.

We watch as she breathes on her own—around 15 minutes. Will she stay? Will she go? In silence we watch. The drama of a soul leaving her earth body for her ethereal body. So gentle is her breathing, so peaceful her departure, we cannot tell when last, she breathes. The doctor comes near,. “She passed,” he says.

Now she runs! Nothing prevents her! And, as her sister, Jacinda, says, “She flies!”

Of course, we were thinking of her being healed here in her mortal body—where we could physically see and hear her on this plane. She was healed in another way. *
Temporarily, we are in this shell—this shell which often limits us, this shell which cannot hold– which cannot prevent our consciousness and our eternal soul, from breaking free. And whether our life be long or short in earth school, it is as a vapour compared to eternity.

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life?
It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time,
and then vanisheth away.
James 4:14

Jesus told parables—stories using physical things to illustrate spiritual truth. I believe Jesus, with the Holy Spirit, still uses earthly things to illustrate eternal truths. A butterfly is an excellent illustration of breaking through a cocoon, being transformed, and flying!

I am guided to a writing by David Wilkerson. He says, “The Ultimate healing is resurrection—death is the passage, “*

Our beloved Rebecca left early. We celebrate her beautiful life.

Because of Jesus, I know we will see her again! Because of Jesus, I know she lives!

November 25, Thanksgiving:

I call Jack, my son. He is at my brother, Phil’s in Las Vegas. Phil’s wife, Michele, tells me that butterflies, in her culture are a symbol of comfort to those who’ve lost a loved one—like they are visiting you. I look on the Internet. There is much about the symbolism of butterflies.
Here’s one entry:

December 3, 2020

My steps are heavy as I walk to the mailbox. This heaviness—I wonder if it will ever go away. I am thinking of my young grandsons, Noah 12 and Nathaniel Charles 8—boys without their mother. Is Rebecca also concerned about them where she is?

At the time of her passing, Rebecca and I had been reading a book, God’s Heavenly Answers, by Dr. Joyce Brown who had had a near-death experience. Rebecca had found Dr. Joyce on the ALS website. She also had attended, by phone, several of Dr. Joyce’s prayer meetings. * *

After Rebecca’s passing, I started attending the prayer meetings—every Saturday at noon, Pacific time. I’ve also talked with Dr. Joyce privately. She said that Rebecca is peaceful—that she wants me to be—even have joy. Joy? But what about her boys? Dr. Joyce said, “She sees the end from the beginning.”

I want to believe this, but can I be sure? Because I am so concerned, wouldn’t she be? Dr. Joyce also tells me that Rebecca will tell me what she wants me to know.

For where your heart is, there will your treasure be also.
Matthew 6:21

     Since Rebecca is on The Other Side, I am ever more mindful of things unseen and whispers of
 the Spirit.  My heart, my treasure is there.
     I believe, “We can know anything we need to know. The Holy Spirit will tell us. We must be 
alert to listen.”
     How does God tell us things?  *** Especially lately, I have asked for words that will lead me to 
what I need to know.  To do this was a suggestion by, Doug, who also had a near death 
experience.He’s in my story, Hurricane Floyd and Lessons of the Wind.  Rebecca is in this story too.  
She had a dreamwhile I am at her house in Berkeley that is part of this story.
     And now, as I walk to the mailbox, into my spirit. this word comes, “Carousel.”  I repeat it.  
I will be listening for that word.   When I get back to the house, Nate,8, asks, “Mimi, 
do you want to see the park I made on my phone?”
      “Sure.”
     He proceeds to give me a guided tour. “And here is my Carousel,” he says.
Carousel! Wow! The word!  I don’t say anything to Nate, but I am thinking, what does it mean? 
I can’t think of anything—maybe it is just a word to let me know there is a Presence that knows 
what I will hear? It is clearly a bleed-through from the invisible world.  It’s delightful 
and I am grateful even if this is all it means.  And yet. . .
     December 5, 2020
     Saturday morning, two days later, Matt tells of a dream he had of Rebecca.  This reminds me to 
ask if “Carousel” means anything to him.
     “No, it doesn’t.”
     Later, I am outside with Atrick, the dog.  As she roams around, up and down the hills, at times 
catching the ball I throw, I pray. I pray for my children.  I pray for the election.
     Suddenly a question, “What goes round and round?”
A carousel!
Then I know! 
     Before I had walked to the mailbox and heard the word “Carousel” , I had wanted to play a song,
 but when I tried to play it on my computer, that song and another one—from Minecraft—was playing as 
well.  (Nate uses my computer for Minecraft.)  Two songs were playing at the same time.  Also, it was 
too loud.  Noah said, “That sounds terrible!”  I turned it off but felt bad that I couldn’t share it.
     And now “round and round”—like a Carousel.  The song has these words:
     Are you tired of spinning round and round?
 
“Atrick, come!” I run inside to play the song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6k5DKcmKAwI

Are you tired of chasing pretty rainbows?
Are you tired of spinning round and round?
Wrap up all the shattered dreams of your life
And at the feet of Jesus, lay them down.
Give them all, give them all, give them all to Jesus,
Shattered dreams, wounded hearts, broken toys
Give them all, give them all to Jesus
And He will turn your sorrow into joy
He never said you’d only see sunshine
He never said there would be no rain.
He only promised a heart full of singing
At the one thing that once brought pain
Give them all, give them all
Give them all to Jesus
And He will turn your sorrow into joy.

And look! The song is full of butterflies! In the past, when I listened to this song, never did I see butterflies—always Evie, the soloist, with a group listening. Now the butterflies are another meaningful synchronicity. (Someone has said, Synchronicities are God speaking anonymously.) As I listen, I cry—that Jesus, with Rebecca, would give me such a gift! A mantra: Give it all to Jesus.

From the end of the earth will I cry unto Thee.
When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock
that is higher than I.
Psalm 61:2

Sometimes sorrow and joy hold hands.

As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.
II Corinthians 8:10

After I told Jacinda the story above, she told me of a video she had taken of Rebecca and Nate riding a Carousel. Click above to see.

We’ve heard it said that God works in mysterious ways. It’s fascinating to listen to the Spirit—to see this invisible orchestration behind the scenes. Like clues—you know something is a message and it means something, but what? You watch and pray and listen.

Martin Buber said, “God speaks in the guise of everything that happens” ****

Jesus said:

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, She will guide you into all truth:
for She shall not speak of herself; but whatsoever She shall hear,
that shall She speak, and She will show you things to come.
John 16:13

I love that the Holy Spirit is also called “the Comforter.”

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name,
She shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance,
whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 14:26

(in original, Holy Spirit feminine pronoun)

Andrew Murray said, “Everything in the physical is a shadow of the reality in the spirit.” This truth is expressed by many. Plato’s Theory of Forms states that the physical realm is only a shadow or image of the true reality.

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment,
worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things
which are not seen. For the things that are seen are temporal, but the things that are not seen are eternal.
II Corinthians 4:17,18

Sightings: Around six times—I’m now going to count them—where and when–I’ve seen one lone white butterfly. The last time was Christmas Day as I was talking to Tracy, Matt’s mother. When I see the butterfly, I seek to follow her with my eyes. But she is fleeting like a flash and disappearing quickly, is gone. For a moment, am I between the worlds?

As I’m thinking on these things, suddenly I remember Madame Butterfly!

Giacomo Puccini:

“The music of this opera, Madame Butterfly, was dictated to me by God. I was merely instrumental in putting it on paper and communicating it to the public.”

My eyes are open for butterflies. Turning over the Christmas card I’ve been sending, I see a tiny little butterfly that I had missed seeing before.

Wishing you a Christmas blessed by the love that
was born so long ago.

When He calls me, I will answer:

https://worldchallenge.org/content/ultimate-healing

*December10: I find this writing by David Wilkerson. Please listen to this. It’s comforting, a blessing, and answers questions. The Ultimate Healing is resurrection. Death is the passage. He has passed on—he worked with street gangs and wrote the book, The Cross and the Switchblade.

https://worldchallenge.org/content/ultimate-healing

Throughout all these months of my caring for Rebecca and then staying in Topanga with Matt and the boys, I have been in communication with Ed and Charlene Knadle and their prayer ministry. My connection to Ed is through his mother, Elaine. She is my dear friend. She’s 13 years older and has passed.. They have been with me through so many challenges. It is a comfort to me to know that I can call Ed to agree with me in prayer for whatever crisis presents itself. “If two of you shall agree as touching anything. . .”

When in California, you must watch and pray regarding high winds and fire threats. This was an especially bad year for fire. The New York Times said California is a furnace. In Topanga, we had numerous answers to weather prayers.*

. A few months before I came to Topanga to be with Rebecca, I was saddened to learn that David, Ed’s son, was killed in Afghanistan November 19, 2019. For Thanksgiving my three children and eight grandchildren were in Las Vegas with my three brothers for Thanksgiving. We were principally all together for Rebecca.

December 27, 2020

There’s an oak writing table in the Mud Room where I put my computer. I can look out the window to a beautiful view as I write. This day I open the door of the Mud Room, take my journal, walk out and sit on a stump surrounded by sage and the majestic beauty of the Topanga Mountains. I feel close to Rebecca and believe we communicate. As I sit here, a thought comes to me. I write it down and text it to Ed Knadle, who prays with me:

People on The Other Side can be close to us because we sit in heavenly places.

Ed texts back:

This is a great revelation you got about heavenly places! I talk to David daily and Elaine. . .and I believe they hear me, both being in that great cloud of witnesses. . .”
. A warm feeling comes over me.

And hath raised us up together and made us sit together
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:6
You Raise Me Up So That I Might Stand on Mountains, Andre Rieu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJqiV55JnX0

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses
let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us,
and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Looking unto Jesus. . .
Hebrews 12

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