An experience that changed my life

[Bill Ryan]

--------

Dear All:

Richard has already shared a moving personal story about the Butterfly Lady. (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?238-The-Butterfly-Lady-A-True-Story-of-Love) I do recommend that you read it.

Charles has also shared a profound experience that changed him. (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?11934-Questions-for-Charles-ONLY%21&p=105623&viewfull=1#post105623) Please also read this.

I'd like to join Richard and Charles by telling a story of my own. It's a simple story which I've never shared except with my closest friends.

In 1989 I was in Nairobi for a couple of weeks. I was staying in a small guest house a couple of miles from the city center.

Every day I walked down the long road to the post office and market, and walked back. And every day I passed a beggar who was sitting on a dirty blanket at a street corner.

This man's arms and legs were shriveled. He could not walk. He wore a loincloth. He sat on the ground, and crawled around on his blanket. He had nothing at all.

But each time I passed by - twice a day for 14 days - he was surrounded by people. They were laughing, joking, having fun. The little beggar-man was always happy. His face was permanently wreathed in smiles. This was where the party was at, all the time, every day.

He was the man. I never once saw him other than enjoying life to the full. His friends - many of them - clearly loved him dearly.

This experience changed me profoundly. Every day I wondered at this man and his friends. One of my greatest regrets is that I never approached him to say hello.

Ten years later, I returned to Nairobi. I tried hard to find him. I wanted to give him something to thank him for his great contribution to my life. I could not. I assume he had died.

I can never tell this story on stage or in an interview: I would not be able to keep it together. That little man, bless his eternal soul, taught me that one does not have not have things to be happy: one only has to create one's own joy with the people one loves. In the context of this, little else matters.

[Lumial8]

--------

Dear All:

Richard has already shared a moving personal story about the Butterfly Lady. (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?238-The-Butterfly-Lady-A-True-Story-of-Love) I do recommend that you read it.

Charles has also shared a profound experience that changed him. (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?11934-Questions-for-Charles-ONLY%21&p=105623&viewfull=1#post105623) Please also read this.

I'd like to join Richard and Charles by sharing a story of my own. It's a simple story which I've never shared except with my closest friends.

In 1989 I was in Nairobi for a couple of weeks. I was staying in a small guest house a couple of miles from the city center.

Every day I walked down the long road to the post office and market, and walked back. And every day I passed a beggar who was sitting on a dirty blanket at a street corner.

This man's arms and legs were shriveled. He could not walk. He wore a loincloth. He sat on the ground, and crawled around on his blanket. He had nothing at all.

But each time I passed by - twice a day for 14 days - he was surrounded by people. They were laughing, joking, having fun. The little beggar-man was always happy. His face was permanently wreathed in smiles. This was where the party was at, all the time, every day.

He was the man. I never once saw him other than enjoying life to the full. His friends - many of them - clearly loved him dearly.

This experience changed me profoundly. Every day I wondered at this man and his friends. One of my greatest regrets is that I never approached him to say hello.

Ten years later, I returned to Nairobi. I tried hard to find him. I could not. I assume he had died.

I can never tell this story on stage or in an interview: I would not be able to keep it together. That little man, bless his eternal soul, taught me that one does not have not have things to be happy: one only has to create one's own joy with the people one loves. In the context of this, little else matters.

Thank you Bill for sharing that, it means a lot to me.

[Sensual One]

--------

Dear All:

Richard has already shared a moving personal story about the Butterfly Lady. (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?238-The-Butterfly-Lady-A-True-Story-of-Love) I do recommend that you read it.

Charles has also shared a profound experience that changed him. (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?11934-Questions-for-Charles-ONLY%21&p=105623&viewfull=1#post105623) Please also read this.

I'd like to join Richard and Charles by sharing a story of my own. It's a simple story which I've never shared except with my closest friends.

In 1989 I was in Nairobi for a couple of weeks. I was staying in a small guest house a couple of miles from the city center.

Every day I walked down the long road to the post office and market, and walked back. And every day I passed a beggar who was sitting on a dirty blanket at a street corner.

This man's arms and legs were shriveled. He could not walk. He wore a loincloth. He sat on the ground, and crawled around on his blanket. He had nothing at all.

But each time I passed by - twice a day for 14 days - he was surrounded by people. They were laughing, joking, having fun. The little beggar-man was always happy. His face was permanently wreathed in smiles. This was where the party was at, all the time, every day.

He was the man. I never once saw him other than enjoying life to the full. His friends - many of them - clearly loved him dearly.

This experience changed me profoundly. Every day I wondered at this man and his friends. One of my greatest regrets is that I never approached him to say hello.

Ten years later, I returned to Nairobi. I tried hard to find him. I wanted to give him something to thank him for his great contribution to my life. I could not. I assume he had died.

I can never tell this story on stage or in an interview: I would not be able to keep it together. That little man, bless his eternal soul, taught me that one does not have not have things to be happy: one only has to create one's own joy with the people one loves. In the context of this, little else matters.


A beautiful story Bill. Really hit you hard and reverberates to this day. A powerful message which means a lot to me also. Tears in my eyes typing this !

Love to you.

[dejavu]

I haven't read Richard or Charle's stories yet but there on my list. Bill's life changing story is in my book a 'diamond' as we scurry through life using most of our energies on things that are irrelevant and often related to human's weakness as opposed to what makes us unique. I hope we all have the patience and insight to recognise those life changing moments and act on them accordingly

[JDM]

Thanks for sharing Bill,
It really shows whats important.
I wonder if you would be doing what your doing now if you were to never have had that experience?

[Snowbird]

Be careful Bill Ryan, your caring heart is showing. Your story is perfect for today, Valentine's Day. :love:

[vibrations]

It's the journey and not some distant goal, what is important. Maybe a lot of us can recall some similar story where your heart starts to beat the other way, when you realise that everything that metters is being human, loving everything around you and trying to see tha glass half full all the time.
Thank you Bill, I think the spirit of this tory is what we seek to be the future of humanity.

[king anthony]

In 1989 I was in Nairobi for a couple of weeks. I was staying in a small guest house a couple of miles from the city center.

Every day I walked down the long road to the post office and market, and walked back. And every day I passed a beggar who was sitting on a dirty blanket at a street corner.

This man's arms and legs were shriveled. He could not walk. He wore a loincloth. He sat on the ground, and crawled around on his blanket. He had nothing at all.

But each time I passed by - twice a day for 14 days - he was surrounded by people. They were laughing, joking, having fun. The little beggar-man was always happy. His face was permanently wreathed in smiles. This was where the party was at, all the time, every day.

He was the man. I never once saw him other than enjoying life to the full. His friends - many of them - clearly loved him dearly.

This experience changed me profoundly. Every day I wondered at this man and his friends. One of my greatest regrets is that I never approached him to say hello.

Ten years later, I returned to Nairobi. I tried hard to find him. I wanted to give him something to thank him for his great contribution to my life. I could not. I assume he had died.

I can never tell this story on stage or in an interview: I would not be able to keep it together. That little man, bless his eternal soul, taught me that one does not have not have things to be happy: one only has to create one's own joy with the people one loves. In the context of this, little else matters.

It is these subtle things experienced in life that plant the deep seed of awakening and growth. For it is these things that 'others' do not and cannot understand.

From birth to death, conditioning has been imposed by 'others', using grandeur or the appearance of it. Yet 'others' fail when one experiences these subtle things.

Thank you for sharing.

[Lost Soul]

I saw an old mafioso spoon feed an armless black man. He voluntarily did this each meal and would feed the armless man before eating his own food. Like a father to a young son, he would use the spoon to wipe the corner of the man's mouth and speak kindly to him while feeding him. I learned compassion from it.

[Mandala]

Thank you Bill. Love is in our Hearts at Avalon. Your message is the key.

[Pamela]

Thank you Bill, that was a beautiful story.

It does go to prove that life IS what we make it EVERY DAY.

This man had nothing to give others except his heart - and they came each day - for that is what they needed!

[ViralSpiral]

Thank you so much for sharing. Touched me deeply.

Reminds one to always wear a smile.... we never know in what form our next teacher will appear!!!!


http://rationalia.com/z/love-138.GIF

[seko]

I guess almost all of us have a similar story and if we don't remember it is because we weren't paying enough attention to it. Thanks a lot for sharing that great story Bill.
Have a good week avalonians.;)

[Unicorn]

Thanks, Bill.

Similar effect on me had watching this astonishing, full man, Nick Vujicic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciYk-UwqFKA

With love to all of you on this Lovely Day

[write4change]

A really great story for a day designed to remember love. No regrets --- because the power of not touching in the moment is why it touches you every day which you in turn touch others in an ever expanding ripple.

I also read and appreciate both Richard and Atticus stories. I have paused here to think why so few love stories that squeeze my heart are written by women. In many ways, my understanding and opening to the Divine Feminine has come thru the eyes of a man. Perhaps, that is the bending of the yin and the yang.

[Yoda]

--------

Dear All:

Richard has already shared a moving personal story about the Butterfly Lady. (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?238-The-Butterfly-Lady-A-True-Story-of-Love) I do recommend that you read it.

Charles has also shared a profound experience that changed him. (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?11934-Questions-for-Charles-ONLY%21&p=105623&viewfull=1#post105623) Please also read this.

I can never tell this story on stage or in an interview: I would not be able to keep it together. That little man, bless his eternal soul, taught me that one does not have not have things to be happy: one only has to create one's own joy with the people one loves. In the context of this, little else matters.

Bill, it is because of who you are, that Avalon lives. Your integrity and love always comes across in your interviews. No wonder you caught the attention of "the powers that were"
Pierre

[Fructedor]

Hi folks and thanks Bill and Richard & Céline

This is a great and important thread - this sort of sharing, and that displayed by Charlie Pecos in the POLL Dance thread, will help us all make great progress on the spiritual plane - our most urgent need, as I've said many times. Opening our hearts, telling the simple truth about our inner experiences - positive or negative - will demonstrate that we are never alone, and that all experience can be the opportunity for evolution of the soul. As humans, our capacity for love is infinitely greater than we have been led to believe, and therein lies our power for changing not only ourselves, but the whole of existence.

I have many stories I could share, but I feel like sharing this for now. About fifteen years ago, I was a young father with the responsibility for five children - I had no stable employment, many pressing debts, numerous personal hassles at the job I was doing, and my wife and I were going through a really difficult phase in our relationship. I was on my way home from a physically tiring job, and struggling with deep depression, from which I used to suffer frequently. I had gotten off the Metro a few stops before home, intending to walk for a while, to try to relax. But it was pouring with cold rain, which didn't help my mood. I was walking over a muddy patch of earth under a couple of scrubby trees, and suddenly heard a bird singing in the tree above me. I think it was a blackbird. That bird's song transfixed me - I stood in the rain under the tree for several minutes, completely entranced by the song I was hearing. Everything I was worried about evaporated, my depression disappeared, and for the first time in months, I felt the movement of joy within me. And I also felt that the bird knew what it was doing, why it was singing for me. It was a gift from Life, just like any of the gifts from angels that many of us receive. I have absolutely no doubt about that. There have been so many of these moments in my life, but that was one that really stays with me - I'm a musician, and I'd like my music to have something like that effect on others.

Thanks for accepting this.

Love to you all, and as I've said before - CONFIDENCE.

Best wishes

Fructedor

[White Rabbit]

Thank you for that Bill... it was the first thing I read this morning and puts a focus on my scattered mind: "one only has to create one's own joy with the people one loves"

[bilko]

Wonderful story Bill, thank you for sharing it with us.
Some of the happiest people i have seen are those that have relinquished the clutter and fear in their life in order to live at the behest of the universe.

It is the same for all of us, the only bridge that needs crossing is one of acceptance.

I pray for grace and good favor for all of us this day.

We are all blessed with good providence, all we have to do is accept it.

[Limor Wolf]

What a story Bill! and what an insight.thank you so much for sharing this!

could it be that this no arms,no legs,no possessions man chose himself such a difficult life maybe to really be able to experience the soul at its final lesson.
it seems that he found it.(and made a remarkable influence on all those around him)

very moving.thank you!

[Rainbow44]

Hello Bill,

All 3 stories really hit home and I can see that we are given gifts each and every day we are alive........we just need to feel and see what the gift is.
I think for many of us, you are this gift, you are the reminder of what is important in our lives so thank you for being a combination of compassion, the butterfly, and the place the party is at!!

Big Hugs to you,

Rainbow

[slvrfx]

Makes me think about how there are many who are so frustrated that God isn't taking care of all the problems...the starving, the infirm, those in deep emotional pain, but think for one moment-

If these difficult and painful people/events were not physically manifested, how would we learn how to LOVE??

The contrast must be allowed, or we ever remain all about Self.

[jorr lundstrom]

Thank you Bill, Richard and Charles. I/We all need confirmations now and then to wots already is in our hearts.

So easy to forget.;)

[Billy]

Thank you for sharing your experience Bill, I have also seen the same senario in India and my time spent in Bosnia,
Rich man, needle and camels came to mind while reading your story.
The beatles said it all.

ALL WE NEED IS LOVE.

[Open your eyes]

Thanks bill, ive had a slightly negative day today but after reading that story i now feel back on track ( cant stop smiling lol)

[galilava]

How good of you, Bill, to open such thread.

Last night went I went to bed a story from many years ago appeared in my mind and I’ll try to share it now. It is very special to me for some reason…
We were in our thirties then and hungry for adventure so we went on a “no direction” journey to explore all those places in our country where nobody ever goes. We saw all sort of things we never imagined existed so close to us - like travelling gypsies, hundreds of hermit’s caves, dolmens bursting irresistible sexual energy, shay Muslim women harvesting wild raspberries deep in the forest, unfinished bridge hanging 30 meters above a river like a frozen intention and a lot of beauty, everywhere. Finally we reached the south-eastern corner of the country, a mountainous region with a few villages. They were mentioned in the ethnographic books as former silk producing regions with very specific architecture. So we went to visit. The village seemed abandoned in the middle of a hot summer day, there were only dogs barking on the streets. The church was almost destroyed, the roof falling apart, all icons and sacred objects were still there, untouched. It looked like people had abandoned this place so definitely that even the thieves did not come back. We walked into and around the church silently. We felt very wise and “knowing” at that time, we had listened to Drunvalo’s seminars, we had done Castanedas magical passes and all sort of things from the “local esoteric market”. From the height of our spirituality we judged the state, the people, the system for neglecting the religious and moral values…
On the way out we spotted an old man sitting on a wooden bench in front of his house. We greeted him and started conversation. It turned out he was the only permanently living person in the village, some other people were coming occasionally to tend to their land. He was living alone, in the whole village. He had lost all his family including his only son many years ago. Now his grandson was the only relative able to come sometimes and bring him some food and other necessities. The old man had sheep, chicken, garden, so he did not need much. He said he’s been waiting there for many years for God to take his soul. We felt the need to help him and we took whatever food we had left in the car but he rejected it. We insisted that he takes at least the dry meats, considered specialities in my country. But then he smiled and said:
Children, you are so nice but I can not accept that, because now it’s the summer fast. It’s the God’s Mother Fast…
…Off course we didn’t know that…
I hardly managed to get to the car before I burst in tears – ashamed, humble and grateful…
All was perfect there.
No church was needed.
God had found asylum in the old man’s heart.

[Maria Stade]

Thank you !

The greatest teachers are the souls we meet to grow !

Nick is with no dought one of the greatest souls of this planet.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8ZuKF3dxCY&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo_24_qTNac&feature=related

So can you hear the message !

Bill you did realy get the message from this soul ! So beautyful that you share this storry with us !

Thank you !

All Love

[DianeKJ]

Wow Bill and everyone else who shared, a very heartfelt thank you. Sharing a piece of your heart and soul, what a wonderful gift.

What a perfect gift for the day that my kids and I have dubbed "Love Day"

I have recieved many lessons of love and giving. Some of my more important ones where from complete strangers and I treasure those deeply.

Today, thanks to the many stories I will ponder some of those events and send out extra LOVE.

Thank you for this gift .

Namaste,
Di

[Agape]

Hmm...yeah :) Thank you Bill, I know what you mean ..

I always thought it's 'faith' , unbroken stream of knowledge and love in the heart of man , to keep him happy, is or it the faith of his mothers and brothers and sisters, the whole society pattern that makes impossible possible .

Every time I came to India which I feel is my homeland in conventional earthy sense than here, I saw thousands of these people, poorest of the poor,
so thin with heavy loads of work on their backs and heads everyday, smiling .
The beggers sitting at the side of the road, all the roads ..on torren blankets , fold 'clean and tight' every morning , beaming with smiles,
starting the day with prayers.
It was a tough and never ending lesson for me since the day one but I felt love from them and they felt love in me.
Eyes met the eyes and they saw when one is sad the day or more ill than usually.

I always wondered it'd be impossible here to allow someone like that , sit on the street .

People without limbs, lepers, wounded, disabled, starved. Yet, they seem to know the secret ..
when you're begging you have to smile :) If you smile and show light and love to the world, people are attracted to you, they're not afraid, they tend to share.

Some of these 'beggers supposedly make more money in one day than if they had a job.

Dharamsala specifically, as an abode of H.H. Dalailama is regarded as 'Switzerland of India' ( hope that makes you smile :) ) and has its own community of various disabled beggers. There are many tourists with compassionate intents willing to do an offering to their conscience I believe , coming to Dharamsala ..
so these beggers are never really in bad stand. But even if they earn thousand rupees a day ( that's a lot ..) they will share these money with others in the community and won't ever start to live like normal people. There are some borders to it , difficult to cross unless someone takes care .

I remember one winter I was very short of money but never mind I knew it's going to repair ,
I walked down to the temple everyday and there was snow , food was scarce and schedule was tight.

I used to talk to some of these people and hear their life stories , wash their cups and bring them tea ( till I got fed up or too emotional about their state and it made me run away ).

I walked back home that night when one of them, sitting at the corner waved hand at me , he could not talk, had some serious impairment , like someone after stroke.
Hesitant as I wanted to be back home quickly I came near and he handled me bunch of notes ( someone was probably really nice to him that day ) and with the type of grandfather gesture : get some food ..sent me away.

I was touched deeply, and ashamed . I used to give children on the street some coins everyday even if I had little. But I knew he means well and ...

what really touched me and the reason why I accepted the 'donation' was ..that someone in such impoverished health and material state can feel for strange little girl who seems to have no worries.


It's very many years back now and I can only assure you...that there are many others in their place ..


God help us all :pray:



:love:

[firstlook]

--------

Dear All:

Richard has already shared a moving personal story about the Butterfly Lady. (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?238-The-Butterfly-Lady-A-True-Story-of-Love) I do recommend that you read it.

Charles has also shared a profound experience that changed him. (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?11934-Questions-for-Charles-ONLY%21&p=105623&viewfull=1#post105623) Please also read this.

I'd like to join Richard and Charles by telling a story of my own. It's a simple story which I've never shared except with my closest friends.

In 1989 I was in Nairobi for a couple of weeks. I was staying in a small guest house a couple of miles from the city center.

Every day I walked down the long road to the post office and market, and walked back. And every day I passed a beggar who was sitting on a dirty blanket at a street corner.

This man's arms and legs were shriveled. He could not walk. He wore a loincloth. He sat on the ground, and crawled around on his blanket. He had nothing at all.

But each time I passed by - twice a day for 14 days - he was surrounded by people. They were laughing, joking, having fun. The little beggar-man was always happy. His face was permanently wreathed in smiles. This was where the party was at, all the time, every day.

He was the man. I never once saw him other than enjoying life to the full. His friends - many of them - clearly loved him dearly.

This experience changed me profoundly. Every day I wondered at this man and his friends. One of my greatest regrets is that I never approached him to say hello.

Ten years later, I returned to Nairobi. I tried hard to find him. I wanted to give him something to thank him for his great contribution to my life. I could not. I assume he had died.

I can never tell this story on stage or in an interview: I would not be able to keep it together. That little man, bless his eternal soul, taught me that one does not have not have things to be happy: one only has to create one's own joy with the people one loves. In the context of this, little else matters.

Very Enlightening Bill.

Namaste :)

[Limor Wolf]

wow! so many stories of compassion and life moments...its perfect.i can see today is a day of strong emotions for me.thank you!

if i may....here is another small lesson on tolerance,compassion,and seeing the other person as part of yourself -

THE SPARROW


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Li52Qvb57M&feature=related


Limor

[cayman]

you can see the whole world through a rain drop; a little leaf is where there is the God

Bill, thank you for your story

[Brodie75]

Thank you Bill

About 9 yrs ago i injured my back at work and it changed my life. I had always been a very physical person, keeping fit through rugby, weights and hard work and so after the injury which was permanent i became very depressed. After 3yrs on strong pain meds and inactivity i attempted suicide. I swallowed about 80 oxycontin pills one night at home all alone and 10mins later my sister knocked on my door. After letting her in i broke down crying and told her that i needed to get to a hospital. I spent 7 days there recovering and thinking about my life.
6months later i received a small wokers compensation check for my back injury, sold all my possetions and bought a ticket to Kenya. I spent 4months living in an orphanage helping to build a goat dairy, chicken farm and an extension to the orphanage. There was no running water, no power and no shops for 40 miles. All the children living there from 2month old babies to 16yr olds taught me how to live. Their happiness and mine was derived from each other and not the place we lived or the things we owned and i'll never forget them :)

[conk]

Great stories all. Thank you for sharing. If I may offer one of my own...

I was walking up to the check out area at a big box store. There were two open lanes. I looked around at the cashiers and made my decision solely by their looks. One was a larger lady, with unkempt hair. By shallow standards an unattractive lady. The other was a young attractive girl. I chose the attractive girl, somehow thinking the other lady looked like she would make a mistake. As I walked up closer someone took the spot in the young girls line. I moved over to the lady with the bad hair. To my surprise she greeted me with the most beautiful voice. Her enunciation and elocution were near perfect. She was witty and engaging. I left her line laughing. Wow, I almost missed a special moment. A moment that taught me FINALLY not to judge others. That moment has served to guide me ever since. I began to look at other people in a much different way. I'm quite sure others picked up on my new found energy. My heart's pilot wave was now sending out loving, accepting signals. I now find that I get more smiles and hellos than ever before. For this experience I am most grateful! - insert heart smilie -

[ghostrider]

thanks for sharing, when we start caring for each other with an honest heart, the world will change.... I believe... P E A C E...

[slipknotted]

since i was a kid i can remember seeing nurse's or say family members who have care for someone who needs help and were mean to them or disgusted in helping them and it always made me feel bad for that person even when someone is picking on someone who less forunate i cant stand to see i always like to help the underdog.

[Spirithorse]

Thank you Bill for bringing the heart back


That was very much needed (for me anyway), I had a tough time reading, recently.

Avalon seems to be like a microcosm in a macrocosm.... we want to build the blueprint for a new civilization but currently still are part of the old one... but on our way out.

A big, big Thank you, all of you, for sharing your stories and opening our hearts.

[MorningSong]

Thanks for sharing this with us, Bill.:grouphug:

[Chicodoodoo]

That little man, bless his eternal soul, taught me that one does not have not have things to be happy

These are the joys of life that sociopaths cannot experience. I have such a story, too.

==========

Although it seemed unlikely, Audrey was my friend. You see, Audrey was practically quadriplegic, old, gray, swollen, bent, and beaten down from the ravages of her own immune system that was slowly dismantling her nervous system. Audrey was living with MS - Multiple Sclerosis. She had a little movement remaining in her left hand (the only limb she could move) and could control the joystick of her wheelchair and thus cruise the halls of her nursing home. Her mind was still sharp, and she became the voice for many of the other residents who were not as fortunate as she.

Imagine not being as fortunate as Audrey.

Audrey rarely complained despite the pain she endured, and it was her humor and smile that was most visible. She was fond of pointing out the certificate on her wall that read, "Good for one free visit" and signed by Jack Kevorkian (the doctor known for helping the terminally ill commit suicide).

During one of our many enjoyable conversations, she suddenly changed the subject and asked, "You know what I miss the most, being in this condition?" My mind whirled at all the possible answers - could it be loss of independence and mobility, using a bathroom rather than submitting to the humiliation of having someone change your diaper, being able to taste your food, sex, scratching an itch? "What?" I finally asked, being unable to prioritize any of the possibilities. "Being able to take a deep breath," she replied. I was floored - the simplest thing, that anyone can do, and that everyone does without a second thought - this was what she missed the most. My eyes were opened in that instant, and I saw how lucky I was, how lucky we all are, to be alive, to actually command our chest muscles to move and fill our lungs with life-sustaining air. How much we all take for granted!

Later that night, as I lay in bed thinking of what she had said, I took that deliberate deep breath, relished it, felt it charge my whole being, and I vowed never to forget the lesson, the gift I had been given. Audrey died from MS, and I lost my friend, but many a night when my head hits the pillow, I take a deliberate deep breath, embrace that subtle pleasure of living, and say a quiet "Thank you, Audrey" for teaching me how little I need to be happy.


Audrey:

http://hm.dinofly.com/images/myspace/Audrey.jpg

[Cottage Rose]

These are the joys of life that sociopaths cannot experience. I have such a story, too.



Greetings Chicodoodoo:

Thank you for your eloquent story and photo. I was moved to experience the beautiful energy of your friend Audrey's spirit. It is a joy to hear that souls such as this are amongst us.

[Saul]

I like that story because it illustrates my experiences in a nutshell, kinda. When I was about 3 I had a dream that I walked out to the hallway and an black entity took my hand and hugged me. Now.. when I say black, I mean absolute no color, I mean black as a tin of black paint. And it, he or she, hugged me. I remember being freaked.

[Constance]

--------

Dear All:

Richard has already shared a moving personal story about the Butterfly Lady. (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?238-The-Butterfly-Lady-A-True-Story-of-Love) I do recommend that you read it.

Charles has also shared a profound experience that changed him. (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?11934-Questions-for-Charles-ONLY%21&p=105623&viewfull=1#post105623) Please also read this.

I'd like to join Richard and Charles by telling a story of my own. It's a simple story which I've never shared except with my closest friends.

In 1989 I was in Nairobi for a couple of weeks. I was staying in a small guest house a couple of miles from the city center.

Every day I walked down the long road to the post office and market, and walked back. And every day I passed a beggar who was sitting on a dirty blanket at a street corner.

This man's arms and legs were shriveled. He could not walk. He wore a loincloth. He sat on the ground, and crawled around on his blanket. He had nothing at all.

But each time I passed by - twice a day for 14 days - he was surrounded by people. They were laughing, joking, having fun. The little beggar-man was always happy. His face was permanently wreathed in smiles. This was where the party was at, all the time, every day.

He was the man. I never once saw him other than enjoying life to the full. His friends - many of them - clearly loved him dearly.

This experience changed me profoundly. Every day I wondered at this man and his friends. One of my greatest regrets is that I never approached him to say hello.

Ten years later, I returned to Nairobi. I tried hard to find him. I wanted to give him something to thank him for his great contribution to my life. I could not. I assume he had died.

I can never tell this story on stage or in an interview: I would not be able to keep it together. That little man, bless his eternal soul, taught me that one does not have not have things to be happy: one only has to create one's own joy with the people one loves. In the context of this, little else matters.

Thank you for sharing that story Bill. My heart just leapt with joy for you and that little man.
with lots of love and light,
Constance

[Otho]

Amazing story Bill Thanks. I wouldn't inflict poverty on anyone, but my own experience was that after my ideas about it and fear went away it was pretty rad, actually. Much, much better for example than when I worked in a rubber mill and went out drinking every night.

[Cottage Rose]

When my mother was in the hospital due to probable malpractice, I waited in the ICU waiting room with family members. The air was so thick, it was claustrophobic. My mother was only 59 and unable to breathe on her own again after what should have been a simple surgery.

At some point, I looked up from a magazine and my eyes met a childhood schoolmate I had not seen for 18 years. We had been in the same classes grade 1-12, both rather shy, and had never spoken to each other outside of the classroom. My classmate's father was in the ICU down the hall from my mother and in the same condition.

Someone must had been smiling down because we were then able to spend those difficult days on a bench outside in the sun catching up on intervening years. It was October, 1987. He had just returned from the Mt. Shasta Harmonic Convergence with news of this journey. He had been abused by his father as a child. My relatonship with my mother was somewhat difficult. For days we sorted matters out on that balcony looking into their ICU windows. It was a very valuable catharsis.

My friend attended my mother's funeral. (My husband, at that time, had a flat tire on the way.) And, I attended his father's funeral. It was such a blessing to have the comfort of a fellow wanderer during that time.

[Franny]

Wonderful and beautiful stories of love, kindness and compassion. Thanks to you all for sharing your hearts.

[Cottage Rose]

I do have another short experience:

Immediately after 9/11, I was extremely sad. All the voices of the tragedy.

I was in my laundry area.

I heard a noise and saw something in the corner of my vision.

I called out, "What's that?"

The cutest little puppy I had ever seen was standing there.

He has been my best buddy ever since.

How could anyone keep crying with a new friend like this around?

He saved me from many tears.


http://mysite.verizon.net/hubcapranch1991/GREATTONTO.jpg

[Linden]

Bill, Thank you for sharing this story. what a lesson for us all! With gratitude, Linda

[Strat]

Thanks for that Bill! Nobody but God himself can imagine living that mans life. I'll bet that man never thought that people from all over the world would come together to admire him. Is that an example of the Butterfly Effect?

1 He(the beggar) kept a smile on his face
2 The passerby (Bill) catches this and is then inspired
3 The passerby spreads the message across the globe, inspiring everyone

If that is the Butterfly Effect, then that has to be one of the most beautiful examples I've heard (including the Butterfly Lady of course! No pun intended). Life never ceases to fascinate me!

It's times like this I feel lucky to be a part of this community.

~~Every little thing, is gonna be alright~~

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUgyAC7z9yM

[str8thinker]

Thank you Bill and everyone else who has posted their own story here, for teaching us what is really important in life.

[Budaheart]

Thanks Bill

I had a similar story to yours when I crossed the Nubian desert from Sudan to Egypt in 1983... We came across a village that was totally abandonned as everybody had moved to the other side of the Nile. Only two persons were left in the town, no food, no ways of living really... these two old men were sitting there in the middle of nowhere, with their blanket on the floor, a little fire cooking their "chai"...as we approached them with curiosity and respect, they looked at us, gather ALL THEY HAD, I mean ALL THEY HAD in their two hands, and offer them to us.
My heart fell to the floor, realizing the beauty of this gesture, the grandiosity of the generosity I was witnessing...they gave us ALL THEY HAD... some dates and some chai.
that was it. That was ALL THEY HAD. And they shared it. With a Smile.

My biggest lessons in life have come from Africa...touching the heart of the 15 years old I was, for ever.
thanks for sharing
and blessed these people who taught us the greatness of human heart.
May we all some day come close to this openess and love for that day, in truth
we would have given birth to
the greatest world of all.

Love
Barbara

[Jonathon]

Amazing story Bill. I wish I had the power to put that lovely gentleman in front of you to complete the story in the way you had wished. But then again, it's pure gold the way it is. Pure perfection. Should be carved into a stone wall for all to see.

My sincere gratitude.

[enoch]

* deleted *

[sandy]

What Beautiful Stories to read for the end of Valentines Day!

I couldn't get a memory out of my thoughts that came flooding back while reading all these heart felt stories. So I will share it. I spent the first half of my life living on the wrong side of the track so to speak. The second half of my life I have worked hard to turn that all around for myself, and all the people I hurt with my anger, hate and bitterness. Once clean, I got an education and a career in the helping field at the age of 32.

I taught hard loving, hard knocking (sometimes you have to speak the love language that people understand and it is not always soft and soothing) life skills to people in trouble with the law and street people. I loved them "openly" and "honestly" because I knew 'there but for the grace of God go I'.

I went to work very early one morning to catch up on some paper work and as our premises where security locked i was surprised the the buzzer was ringing a few minutes later. It was 6:30 in the morning. I went to the door and there was one of my past students who I hadn't seen in a long time, asking if she could come in and see me. 'Sure' I said, 'but how come you are here so early'. She said "I have just been waiting to see you and wanted to catch you before others started to come". We chatted socially for a few minutes and I noticed that she was not looking too well. I asked her about what I was seeing and she began her story. I won't go into details except to say that she was covered in track marks, also in many places hidden to the naked eye. She was back working the streets and her boyfriend/ pimp was beating her and not giving her any money to live on. She was frail, suicidal,weak and sick and in bad need of a fix as well.

I listened and proposed all sorts of alternatives and she turned them all down. I didn't know what to do so I shared through my tears how much I cared for her and felt stuck because I so wanted to help her. She promptly told me I already had. Her name was Kelly and she said "I just needed to come and to be with you because I know you care". We cried and hugged each other, had coffee and talked some more and then I watched her walk away.

Kelly taught me that no matter what, show people how deeply you care and that "THEY" are loved ( not their behavior good or bad) no matter what!

[Budaheart]

Sandy thanks for sharing your Love story... it was beautiful.
In the end its all about love. All these lives embarked on the so called "wrong path", or the very painful to say the least, could be very well tracked down to a basic lack of love and care from meaningful others. So true...have found it myself aswell in my life and through my life.

The caring and the nurturing has been so unrecognized as a basic necessity! how can someone study? how can someone do anything really if he has missed the basic food ingredient of all? Love!

Hopefully we are changing this.
Love
B

[Henners]

Thanks Bill and every one else for your heart warming stories. I too have my own. Hope you'll read it to the end. I don't mean to hijack your thread Bill, just add to it.

In my career as a coach driver i travel all over Australia and meet virtually hundreds of people every week. One a three day trip with school kids to Canberra (the capital of Oz), i had a girl on board my coach who was wheel chair bound. When we left Sydney, her mother was crying and very upset because her daughter had never been away from home on a school outing and was very concerned. I put her mind at ease and told her that i would make sure she would be OK. Her mother was grateful and a little relieved.

From the time we left Sydney, this girl ( i'll call Denise) was on the defensive. I decided to treat her like any other girl on my coach. When ever Denise asked me for something, i would ask her to "get it yourself", i asked her if she was special, and before she answered, she stopped, thought for a sec and said no. This went on and on. She would drop some thing on the ground and look at me, I would say you've got hands haven't you. She would say, " you can't talk to me like that". She was used to every one treating her differently, i treated her like i treat all the other girls, She was not used to this.
By the time we got back to Sydney, she bought me a present, gave me a hug, told me i had changed her outlook on life, and made her feel normal. But the most important thing that happened was her teacher calling me and telling me that she had changed and become friendlier to everyone, became more out going, and kept talking about Henry the coach captain being a cool guy. For me this was very special thing as i had changed someones life, and she had changed mine.
I probably haven't explained myself but hope you've understood where i am coming from.
I love my job......

[enoch]

* deleted *

[Budaheart]

Henners you explained yourself beautifully You taught this girl how to step out of the box she had been placed, a very nice and comfy zone but a prison separating her from other people...
perhaps she got placed there by caring parents who couldnt do better, but she was suffering it and you managed to gradually let her step out of the box...and be herself..
she is special, we are all special but because we are all special, we can share in equality and openness,

Blessings to you! I love your job too!
Barbara

[Budaheart]

Enoch thanks for sharing!...I am not the one to answer that but I do feel love is the answer myself.
Love to you
Barbara

[Mark2112]

Great story! Thanks for sharing.

[Obeewan]

Dear all,

Thank you Bill for the wonderful story, its a great share and means so much to the story of the human condition.



(Question for Charles edited out and copied here (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?13572-RULERS-Questions-for-Charles-volume-2&p=140846#post140846))
Blessings to you all, may the force be with you ;-)

Obee'...

[Celine]

if it matters...


thank you for sharing your heart...

Bill... Richard... Charles...You have done a great service to Avalons heart...

[Arrowwind]

Many years ago I was camping in my little pickup truck alone on the Rio Grande Gorge.. It was January and dam cold,the wind howling, but I was set up in my trusty little datsun truck with a basic shell on the back.. It was well below 0 degrees.... and for those who do not know I am a woman and at that time traveling the back roads of the word by myself.

Then around 7 pm just as I was about to go to sleep a man came by.. he was in a bad way and likely on some kind of drug but I could smell the alcohol too. He asked me for some water which i gave him... He was difficult to talk too and was surely messed up. He only had a poor coat and no gloves or hat. When I found out that he had no vehicle and we were pretty far from anywhere I knew that he would not likely make it though the night. I would have taken him anywhere but he insisted that he had to be here on the Gorge. I invited him into my truck and covered him.. He was already pretty cold with insufficient coat and all.. I wrapped him in my sleeping bag and held him though the night. We both slept.

In the morning we parted ways... I don't know what was up with him but in morning he still could not communicate very well. I wanted to drive him somewhere, anywhere where he would be safe but he refused. He thanked me and said all would be well now...

That experience felt like I had entered a warp into the fabric of time in some way that makes no logical sense... like when something special is happening the edges of time ripple and become distorted and the moment becomes very alive.

and now reviewing this story I am recalling what happened to me about 5 years previously to this...

I was at a rainbow gathering in Montana in 76. I had put up my tent in the woods and went off to explore the festival.. I returned after dark to my tent but could not find it for my life... it was so dark and no moon... Finally I came to a tent that I thought was mine but obviously disturbed the occupant. When I told him my dilema he said I should not stumble through the woods all night. He took me in and kept me warm in a gracious way.. we parted the next day and I never saw him again..

so these things I guess are learned behaviors... learning to share and open without fear and to project your steadfastess onto others from others, to pass through whatever needs to be passed through.

Thanks Bill for sharing your story.

[Hummingbird]

I was chopping veggies for some tuna I was having for lunch and thinking about the law of attraction and how focusing on what you want and manifesting it is difficult for humans because its all out of faith and no proof( for most atleast)
I visualized a beautiful drawing I had seen of semjase, a plejarien woman who Billy Meier had contact with, the drawing depicts nature coming to a much higher vibration around her when she stepped off her ship. In the drawing there was a hummingbird next to her.
When I thought of the hummingbird a intuitive voice said to me to go outside and attract a hummingbird for proof.. So I set down the knife, took a step towards my bedroom to go put on some clothes( yes i was chopping veggies in my underwear) and the voice said " no now in your underwear, believe and trust.
So I turned around walked out into my back yard , I started breathing eyes closed, it took me bout 60 seconds to get "connected" i stood there for appox. 2 min with my hand outstretched in front of me and started to doubt my feelings and a thought said stay have faith. So I continued for maybe 90 more seconds, I had my eyes closed and truly believed a humming bird was coming.
Then I heard/felt the unmistakable vibration of a hummingbird. I opened my eyes a lil and it was hovering right on front of my face dancing around my outstretched fingers. This startled me and i lost me connection for a split second which made the bird fly away, I re gathered myself and wwwoooooommmmm wooooooommmmmm there it was again dancing around my hand, I held this state this time and it landed on the very tip of my middle finger, its little feet on my finger, its presence was just magical.
It stayed for only bout 40 seconds, after, my mind was blown that I created this, that i trusted that voice and it wasnt just my imagination. I cried tears of grace for a while, I was by myself when this happened, but am with a very open minded woman who shares my love for the truth vibration and who I knew would believe me.
I picked her up from work a few hours later and we returned home, she of course wanted to try, which i encouraged her to but didnt believe it would happen because it was so spontaneous. I proceeded to tell her how and what i felt before, so she got into her connected state and went outside. She stood in the backyard for atleast 3 min and nothing, she has her back to me but i could see her threw the glass door. I inhaled both arms into the air coming to prayer pose, and opened my eyes and there the hummingbird was dancing around her face, she returned eyes full of tears mine were aswell... POWERFUL

That was the first year of us being together, we are about to celebrate our 6th year anniversary one of the many great experiences that has bonded our lives together. Have never told the story before hope you all enjoy Love Matthew & Malvina

[yhvh]

Lovely story

thank you for your story, Bill

[Sowelu]

It is in helping others and sharing those moments, that our oneness truly shines through. This is why it feels so wonderful. Beautiful stories everyone.

[Newlyn]

Thank you for sharing, Bill. This is important, what really matters.

Go out and do what really matters.

[rgray222]

Bill thanks for sharing

I also read Richard's butterfly lady story and commented on it because he shared a piece of his heart and soul in that story. You now have done the same with this story.

I personally think if PA is to grow and gain strength, it will be from post's such as this one. When one shows us a bit of their soul and is willing to step from the shadows we all grow exponentially.

[mrmalco]

I was brought up Catholic, in a Catholic family, went to Church, went to Catholic Schools, went to a theological college for six years, was ordained as a Catholic priest, went to university (the Bishop wanted me to become a teacher in on the the diocesan Catholic schools. During my last year I got into a couple with Miriam (not her name). The Bishop found out and I was called to go up to his office at the Cathedral in Westminster. I ended up on my knees kissing his ring, phoning Miriam with the Bishop standing over me - telling her it was all over. Feeling like Judas Iscariot.
The Bishop said I should go back to Cambridge for the night, get my stuff together and get one of the other priests to drive me to a place in Sicklinghall (yes!) in Yorkshire. A retreat for bad-boy priests. I spent the night writhing at my betrayal of Miriam. Realising that I probably would not be allowed to finish my degree ...
Next day a priest friend drove me to the retreat house in Yorkshire we got there late afternoon. The Rector there was all shirt-sleeves and hail-fellow-well-met. I learned that there were about 15 other men there. Didn't meet any of them. With the Rector and my friend we had a cup of tea. Then I was shown to a Room and told supper would be in three hours.
I sat in a chair. There were bars on the windows. I looked out, About 150 yards away there were a few houses. In the garden of one a woman was hanging some washing on a clothes line. I sat there and thought that I'd had this all my life - Catholicism, Institutions, special regulations, celibacy, mortal sinfulness ... and in the distance in the late afternoon sun, was this ordinary scene.
After about 10 minutes I took off my clerical garb, stuffed it into the case I'd brought. Put on an ordinary workshirt and jeans and walked out. After an hour or so I found a bus to Leeds. Sat on a bench at the station for a couple of hours. Got a train to London and found my way to the school were Miriam was a teacher. Told her sorry. That was the end of being a priest. It was over forty years ago and she and I are still friends. That's the bones of it.

[Intraphase]

The Universes is noble and magnificent, but it can also be a clever trickster when it feels that is required. A month ago I knew the depth of winter was imminent. I laid in the four hermitage basics; foods, tobaccos, medicines and groceries. With a thoroughly cleaned apartment I headed out on to the highway for a sixty mile drive to charge the battery and run the engine as the snow slowly began to lightly fall on the highway. A month later with three magor storms passed and plenty of lingering crusty mountains of snow and crud abounding it was time for phase two of making it through another frigid winter. I'd dug the car out several times. I turned the wipers and washers on to clear the windshield to an anemic lazy response. There wasn't enough charge to start the car. I got the jumper cables from the trunk and put them on the drivers seat. I walked to my mothers regretting not having a hat. My mother was sick and in the hospital so my sister drove me back to my car for a jump start. The battery was low but far from dead, in ten years I have never let the battery die completely. I took to the same forest lined highway of rolling hills to quickly bump the charge up. In very short order I had the first three of my four shopping essentials replenished and was beginning to fill a supermarket carriage with a few weeks worth of food. If the battery had not been in need of of minor attention I would have passed this point two hours earlier.

Two men approached me from behind calling me by my full name without a mister or sir attached. I locked eye contact with the speaker and extended my hand: "I'm sorry I don't recognize you." I thought it was some form of officialdom asking for assistance. The person looked me in the eye while saying his name and I realized it was my oldest friend of forty-six years who I knew from the age of five years old. We quickly blew off the ongoing handshake by hugging for ten seconds. Once at a great life changing event he was one of five witnesses present. The rush of being in his energy field and the familiarity of how he perceives me drew my hand to his face the way grandmothers gently cup the faces of those they love with the delta of the palms lifelines on the jaw and the thumb softly on the cheek. He relaxed after the slightest flicker of clever suspicion. Then I said his name. Just in case this is the first time we meet as we renew an active relationship after an eleven year hiatus of peacefully growing in different directions, or possibly the opposite, the last time we should meet by chance.

Twenty minutes of conversation covered many topics during which I filled him in on certain subjects and broached the topic of our mutual life changing experience so many years ago. He didn't miss a beat and said he had tried to tell people about it several times and simply could not pass on the magnitude of the occurrence to a friend or family member who wasn't there without seeming like a bit of a dope and a whack job. It was at that moment yesterday that I realized why my absolutely oldest friend the universe put on its trickster hat and trickster cape and with the help of many of the dearly departed, forced me and my friend to jump through a series of burning hoops wearing our french poodle suits as we groused, yipped and yapped, barking our way towards an inevitable moment of remembrance. The impulse to hold his face, to look him gently deeply and gratefully in the eye until we both relaxed profoundly and spoke as if not a moment had passed was overwhelming. Time stopped, the store grew dark, and we were alone for a split second in the eternal world where this collision of true friends was arranged by the ever wily trickster face of the universe that is the first and the foremost lover of truth. If I never see him again or we grow old together as grumpy old men it doesn't matter. It took a lot of overriding my will for the universe to express its will. It had the courage, honor and noble intent to not lose faith in its scheme as both trusted parties were maneuvered into a position where a whole new pallet of free will choices could be made available.

A bit of what the universe told me through its manifestation and navigation was very simple. I love you and you love me, don't give up. I needed to remember that some proofs can only be supplied by The Player as Origin. I don't demand proof anymore, but I need to remember when proof and the witnessing of proofs in the company of others was an essential phase of learning to survive in this particular part of the great cloud of awareness that forms The Great Mystery.

If I didn't write out this event of fourteen hours ago and contribute it to this thread the wily trickster would mock me most righteously for cowardice and I would have to humbly and gratefully accept the reproval. Now I am up by two points and the tricksters back on the run and the universe is smiling again enjoying the game of life.

On narrative.
Through fire nature is reborn whole.
The flames of interwoven friendships are eternal.



:couch2::smokin::ranger:

[Lord Sidious]

I was brought up Catholic, in a Catholic family, went to Church, went to Catholic Schools, went to a theological college for six years, was ordained as a Catholic priest, went to university (the Bishop wanted me to become a teacher in on the the diocesan Catholic schools. During my last year I got into a couple with Miriam (not her name). The Bishop found out and I was called to go up to his office at the Cathedral in Westminster. I ended up on my knees kissing his ring, phoning Miriam with the Bishop standing over me - telling her it was all over. Feeling like Judas Iscariot.
The Bishop said I should go back to Cambridge for the night, get my stuff together and get one of the other priests to drive me to a place in Sicklinghall (yes!) in Yorkshire. A retreat for bad-boy priests. I spent the night writhing at my betrayal of Miriam. Realising that I probably would be allowed to finish my degree ...
Next day a priest friend drove me to the retreat house in Yorkshire we got there late afternoon. The Rector there was all shirt-sleeves and hail-fellow-well-met. I learned that there were about 15 other men there. Didn't meet any of them. With the Rector and my friend we had a cup of tea. Then I was shown to a Room and told supper would be in three hours.
I sat in a chair. There were bars on the windows. I looked out, About 150 yards away there were a few houses. In the garden of one a woman was hanging some washing on a clothes line. I sat there and thought that I'd had this all my life - Catholicism, Institutions, special regulations, celibacy, mortal sinfulness ... and in the distance in the late afternoon sun, was this ordinary scene.
After about 10 minutes I took off my clerical garb, stuffed it into the case I'd brought. Put on an ordinary workshirt and jeans and walked out. After an hour or so I found a bus to Leeds. Sat on a bench at the station for a couple of hours. Got a train to London and found my way to the school were Miriam was a teacher. Told her sorry. That was the end of being a priest. It was over forty years ago and she and I are still friends. That's the bones of it.

I can't even imagine how you felt in that room, contemplating leaving behind everything you had worked on in your life.
Miriam helped to deliver you to where you are today.

[mrmalco]

She certainly did Lord S - It was a very intense few minutes (an iceberg tip from a huge unacknowledged inner mass). I've often reflected that if it wasn't for the Church's celibacy law I might have slipped into such deep sleep that I got stuck for keeps.

[Lord Sidious]

She certainly did Lord S - It was a very intense few minutes (an iceberg tip from a huge unacknowledged inner mass). I've often reflected that if it wasn't for the Church's celibacy law I might have slipped into such deep sleep that I got stuck for keeps.

It's funny how we look back and decide that x event was ''good'' or ''bad'' for us, yet without that event, regardless of it's good or bad status, we wouldn't be the individual we are, nor would we be where we are today.

[christian]

I want to share a story, too.

I've read information about all the secret-societies and banking cartels and that stuff since I was a teenager, I regarded that as very real something that has to be dealt with. UFOlogy on the other hand always seemed like a "come-and-save-me" escapism to me. I felt nauseated by that topic and didn't want to look into that ever. Through coincidence I came across the George Green interview on camelot and was fond of that guy, who seemed to be genuine, humble and honest, he even mentioned auric fields, which I learned to see again as a teenager as well. - Then he came up with UFO stories and I thought 'not him please' and he told about a free book that he channeled, that connects to the bigger picture in his view. - I thought I will read into that and prove once and for all, that this is all giant fallacy. As I read the "Handbook for the New Paradigm" it stroke my chords in an amazing way and often times after reading a chapter I pondered on something that was mentioned exactly like I thought about it when I read the next chapter the other day. Just before finishing the book I had a quick dream, almost like a commerical break in my other dream, about building a dam. That made no sense to me. When I went on reading, the exact same metaphor was used in the very next chapter.

It's not that I had a divine truth told to me, simply very odd synchronicities that showed me, the information I read was relevant and that also gave me a lot of confidence to act upon this knowledge.

The same thing happened to me the night before I saw David Wilcock's presentation at the Awake and Aware Conference, where I dreamed about stuff that he said afterwards.

So it doesn't have to be God speaking to you through a burning bush, it can be written between the lines, you just have to keep an open mind, to see these things when they happen, I guess.


I love you all
be active, be creative!

[qbeac]

Dear All:

Richard has already shared a moving personal story about the Butterfly Lady. (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?238-The-Butterfly-Lady-A-True-Story-of-Love) I do recommend that you read it.

Charles has also shared a profound experience that changed him. (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?11934-Questions-for-Charles-ONLY%21&p=105623&viewfull=1#post105623) Please also read this……snip……
Hi Bill, just as you and Richard and others have shared your personal stories in this forum, I have also shared a personal story that helped to change my life in a certain way, or let’s say it made it richer, more complete, because it taught me an important, sad, and hard lesson, but a valuable one nonetheless.

And the conceptual implications of this story could perhaps be extrapolated to this forum, or perhaps not. At this point, we still cannot be sure about it.

As I explain in the following post (#125), I wonder what your opinion is about this story and its possible implications for this forum. This story happened to me, although I imagine (actually, I am quite sure about it) that many other people may have also had similar experiences.

This is the link to the post:

Post #125, pag. 7. The catholic priest working for the orphanage
http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?13214-Is-the-Charles-33%C2%92s-POV-ok-or-a-Trojan-Horse-Who-do-you-agree-with-Bill-or-Kerry&p=142950&viewfull=1#post142950

[Intraphase]

Hi Bill, just as you and Richard and others have shared your personal stories in this forum, I have also shared a personal story that helped to change my life in a certain way, or let’s say it made it richer, more complete, because it taught me an important, sad, and hard lesson, but a valuable one nonetheless.

And the conceptual implications of this story could perhaps be extrapolated to this forum, or perhaps not. At this point, we still cannot be sure about it.

As I explain in the following post (#125), I wonder what your opinion is about this story and its possible implications for this forum. This story happened to me, although I imagine (actually, I am quite sure about it) that many other people may have also had similar experiences.

This is the link to the post:

Post #125, pag. 7. The catholic priest working for the orphanage
http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?13214-Is-the-Charles-33%C2%92s-POV-ok-or-a-Trojan-Horse-Who-do-you-agree-with-Bill-or-Kerry&p=142950&viewfull=1#post142950

The disclosure or lack of disclosure process is now halted.
Arrangements are being formulated to accommodate that outcome.

You position has achieved the victory.
More than half the participants expressed dissatisfaction with the process.
Atticus was online for 21 days during which he was unable to disclose years worth of information.

Case closed.
Personally I am very relieved.
Time for the dissident magority to let go and return to previous research subjects.

[Ultima Thule]

This is a small story. Wen´t to pick up my wife from work, boys, 5yo and 3yo riding backseat. We had to wait for a while. Then I saw a man jogging, clearly slightly retarded, bit funny looking with 25 year old jog suit. I looked at him and realized he was truly, 100% smiling, he was most likely the first person I have ever seen to jog because of the pure enjoyment of it, not for sport, adrenaline rush, discipline, cardio, stress management, or whatever, you name it. I wondered: who is missing something here - ME! I will try to go biking next spring when I definitely feel like it - and for no reason at all :P

That day I saw a master.

[Arrowwind]

That day I saw a master.

hey, was it Forrest Gump? ;)

[qbeac]

The disclosure or lack of disclosure process is now halted.
Arrangements are being formulated to accommodate that outcome.

You position has achieved the victory.
More than half the participants expressed dissatisfaction with the process.
Atticus was online for 21 days during which he was unable to disclose years worth of information.

Case closed.
Personally I am very relieved.
Time for the dissident magority to let go and return to previous research subjects.

Hi Intraphase, thanks for your reply, although we keep waiting to hear Bill’s own reply about this subject.

In the meantime, Charles is still participating in this forum and conducting experiments (Saturday, Feb-19-11), but he has not replied either to the important questions posted in Post #125, pag. 7 (see link in my last post).

Without good answers to those good questions this case probably shouldn’t be considered to be closed.

And while we keep waiting for those responses from Charles and Bill, another user from the Project Camelot forum has made the following suggestion to Bill, as I explain with more detail in this post:



Post #128, pag. 7. Project Camelot forum user suggests to Bill to write a disclaimer about Charles current activity in Avalon
http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?13214-Is-the-Charles-33%C2%92s-POV-ok-or-a-Trojan-Horse-Who-do-you-agree-with-Bill-or-Kerry&p=146832&viewfull=1#post146832

[megaorgun]

In October 2005 i used the power I had but was unaware of to pierce time space to get an answer to what path to follow, 4 days later the matrix was manipulated by God itself and it gave me a reason to continue on and live in hope of better things.

I was struggling at the time and was very oppressed by the other end of the scale and I am talking top of the ladder.
It had all died off until a few weeks ago where I met a girl in a club we both never go to and dislike, I ended up with the help of a gifted friend removing 5 spirits from her after years of turmoil and whilst doing the first two over the phone as my friend is a descendant of a famous Israelite, and yes has extraordinary abilities.
It was divine as she was seeking help from a guy who was connected to a satanic cult and if I had not met her she would have been used as supposedly she has gifts similar to mine.(gifts can be used for both good and bad)
Lucifer himself stopped by to view things as he was the one oppressing me he left before any struggle as I had become aware of him and had to block him from myself later.
Conversations with Lucifer can be interesting but ultimately he is a corrupted spirit even if there are some good remnants left.
I then learned that i could remove demons/spirits was a hyper intuitive, heal remotely without laying hands, sense energy fluctuations and sense spirits and multidimensional.(the healing happened by accident the others i was unsure of but now I am developing them for good and to help if i can)

This is very much abbreviated and a work in progress.

I am not going to Bible bash but anyone reading just be a good person and do right by others and live a pure life as ultimately it is your own consciousness that will decide how you progress.

[Lord Sidious]

I will tell you a story I haven't put on the net before.
When I was in the army, I was in an armoured recon unit. This unit was classified as being amphibious capable, so we had to do swim tests to remain qualified as drivers.
We were due to go and do our testing and refresher training in a river.
The afternoon before, I was sent to the training area to prepare 3 vehicles for water training. This involved putting 1.6 tonnes of bluemetal in sandbags inside the carge area as ballast and also fitting shrouds over the tracks.
I got up there to find that the ''help'' that I had there was of no use and I had to do it all myself. This took quite a while.
I moved one vehicle to find it had a carbon buildup inside the engine and this could result in a loss of power, meaning you sink. So, I drove it around at full revs for about an hour.
I managed to get to rest around 3am. Due to the cold, I didn't get any sleep.
The next morning, I was called out to do my swim test at 7am. I had no meal the night before and I was knackered from no sleep as well.
I entered the water to find that the water was freezing. The idea was that we would swim 25 metres and float for 5 minutes then swim back to the bank and get out.
Well, we got to the 25 metre float when the corporal told us to swim to the next float, which was 50 metres away. This doesn't sound like a lot, except we had our uniforms on, minus boots and webbing.
I was wondering what the hell was going on, I had never seen a 75 metre swim test and the briefing we had before entering the water told us 25.
So, I started to swim to the next float. I got halfway and started to get serious leg cramps, due to the cold, lack of sleep and nothing to eat.
I started to struggle and sank, so I signalled the safety boat. I sank again and again signalled, though this time I couldn't get my head out of the water, only my arm.
I then sank to the bottom of the river. I recall seeing the boat coming across the surface of the water to the area I had signalled from.
Then, a diver broke the surface and started down towards me.
Before he could get there, I had my life flash before my eyes and I developed tunnel vision with the tunnel getting smaller until everything went black.
The next thing I knew, I was on the boat coughing.
They put me on the river bank and gave me a blanket, but no towel.
After about 15 minutes, they came and told me to go back in.
a sergeant that was an instructor on my drivers course a few years before asked me what was going on as he had never seen anything like this.
I told him I had no idea and he told me he didn't like it.
He then decided to come in with me and cheat. He held my trousers so that I would pass the test, which I did.
He also decided to be my crew commander for the refresher training.

After many years, a friend of mine asked me if I thought they had tried to kill me.
I had never thought of that before, so I had a long think.
I think she was right, they were trying to kill me and make it look like an accident.
The guy that pulled me out was the same one that extended the test. My regular crew commander had mistreated him on an exercise when we had ''captured'' him and he refused to talk.
Why he decided to get me, I don't know.

Believe it or not, they decided to make me do another swim test about a month later, which they again rigged so I would fail and refused to help me out of drowning until one other swimmer got angry.
I don't know what the moral of this story is, other than this was indeed an experience that changed my life.

Afterthought.
I am not a patient man and as I said elsewhere, I struggle with my anger and not being hasty to say or do things.
I think that I got PTSD after this event and never had treatment for it.


This is what we were doing.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULKPBbg6emo

[Kari Lynn]

Mine is not one big bash up side the head, but a bunch of small things that have made me what I am today, both good and bad.
But the small things, when added up and looked at, are quite life changing, for me anyway.
Simply the teachings of my grandmother and father, and stories of the miracles performed by members back in their days. As a youngster, I didn't pay much heed to it. But as life goes on, I started seeing things myself.
Such as the first time (only time) I fasted in prayer, and recieve a spiritual companion to guide me on a daily basis for awhile. Among many powerful experiences at that time, that one might describe as a battle between two forces.
Fast forward to my marriage, and first child, (4 months old) having been viciously shaken by a baby sitter. He lay in the hospital for 8 days dying. The doctors didn't have much hope for him. Their way of telling me he was going to die, was to sit me down and ask, "Can you have more children?"
He was administered (laying on of hands by elders of my church) nearly 2 and 3 times a day during that time.
The doctors told me, only 5% of the children that are shaken, survive, and those that do, are brain damaged vegetables. So you can see my hopelessness of the situation here.
But I continued praying, and asking for a miracle.
My son survived. But we wouldn't know the extent of his brain damage until he was 5 yrs old and started trying to learn in school. I was also told that he would be blind by the time he was 35 yrs old, because of blood clots behind the eyes, which usually never go away. But a few months later as my then 8 month old child healed. The doctor of 20 yrs looked at the blood clots that were behind my son's eyes and they were gone completely! He said NEVER in his 20 years has he seen that happen. So when I asked what that meant for my son, he said he was healed completely, and didn't have to worry about blindness from his injuries.
When he turned 4 and started school (preschool), he was much advanced than children his own age. In 5th grade, he passed tests that were college level. But was failing simply because he sandbagged in school, and wouldn't do homework. They couldn't fail him though, because he Aced every single test they put infront of him 100%. Talk about giving the teacher's fits! lol
From there I had 3 more children. Loosing my daughter at 6 months gestation. And then have my two youngest boys.
both of whom have contributed to my graying hair. lol
My middle son at 18 months old crawled to my room, in the middle of the night crying with pain, unable to walk. I put him in bed with me to warm him, and relieve pain. But next morning he was stiff as a board and couldn't move his legs, screaming with pain when I tried to move him. So we spent the day in the hospital (7 am till 7 pm) running tests. Worries of Polio prominent in ours and doctors mind.
As it turned out he had a non-degenerative type of artheritis that he would eventually grow out of. Flare up caused by flu, and cold symptoms.
At 2 yrs old he had another flare up. Had walked for 3 days. I had to pick him up and carry him everywhere. Even while he was on nearly adult dose of ibuprofen as prescribed by a doctor. In preschool at 3 yrs of age, I gave his teachers his script, and a bottle of new un-opened Advil for them to have on hand, explaining the severe pain he suffers at times. Nothing they can do but hot towels/pads and advil. and call me. They called me and I went to pick him up one day. The teacher was in tears, not realizing when I said "severe pain" that I meant THAT bad.
He couldn't walk for 3 days that time. I carried him into the house of a close family friend and church member/elder, and set him down on a chair, asking him to administer for healing for my son. which he did. When he had finished, my son(s) curious as kids will be, saw something outside his house on the farm. My youngest said, "Look at that!" and my son jumped down off the chair and not only walked, but ran out the door! I slumped into the nearest chair, crying my eyes out and explained to the friend, he hadn't been able to walk without cripling pain for past 3 days!
Since then there have been many other instances of such healing, messages, and miracles in my life. From smallest to largest. Even looking after my lifestock, horses, cats, etc...
Not wanting to bible bash here either. But feeling there's a connection with some of our gifts, miracles, and beings out there, and my religious teachings from childhood. I just don't understand it fully yet.

[lazer]

My first 7 yrs of life...i lived next door but one to a grave yard...
This was my elder brothers play ground..
When i was 4 yrs old ..i begged him to let me go with him..reluctantly he agreed..
Wow!..it was a magical place..pretty coloured jewels and flowers on the graves..
My brother was already familiar with the couple who lived in the house within the walls..and they didn't mind us being there.
We used to take mum's kitchen scissors and cut the grass around the edge of any un-kept graves..water the flowers
in vases if they looked wilted..etc..
It must have been about a year later..this time we were collecting the old flowers up off of this tiny little grave..
we knew it was a baby that had been buried there as we were in the grave yard on the day of the funeral...watching
from a distance..the grave was over hung by a tree..something plopped from the tree hit my brothers head and landed
on the grave...after he got over the shock..we looked and it turned out to be a baby bird..which had fell out of a nest..
My brother asked me to stay there and he would go and fetch someone...
He seemed to have been gone along time...when this elderly gentleman walked up to me and asked me what i was doing..i showed him the little bird...
He picked the little bird up and cupped it in his hands....saying.. little bird fly free..follow the wind...
With that he put the bird back down on the grave....
I looked up at him...with a lump in my throat...i could see the bird wasn't moving...
He put his hand on my shoulder and told me that the bird was now free to fly forever...
He told me that sometimes we have to let things we love go...and sometimes we have to give them permission to leave.
He also told me that i would understand this when i get older...and that i will remember...
With that..he asked my name..and said goodbye...
I sat there not knowing what to make of it...
Then my brother came racing over with a little box...i told him the birdie was was flying free...
My brother looked at me gone out...but realised the bird was dead...
I said to him ask that man..he will tell you...
He said...what man...
I looked round..couldn't see the man anywhere...i just assumed he had run off...
Years later i was working in a small hospital in South London..and in my breaktimes i would go into the wards and sit with the patients that had no relatives or friends to visit with them...
In ICU ward..i befriended a gentleman who was very ill..and i used to help cheer him up...
He asked me to keep visiting him...which i did...
On the 15th day...i could see and feel he was in alot of pain...i asked the sister of the ward..on his condition...
She said...by rights he should have gone by now...but he seemed to be hanging on..
I went and sat with him...
I held his hand...and i had a flash back and remembered back to the time of the little bird.....
He told me he was frightened and squeezed my hand so tight...
I whispered that it was time for him to go and fly free..and that everything would be fine...
With that..he slipped away very quickly..with a sort of smile on his face....
I did this many times...and they nicknamed me the Angel of Death....
The hardest was allowing both my parents to go...and telling them everyone would be alright...they had finished their work here..and it was time to go on their journey..with love...

[Charlie Pecos]

Wishing everyone a very lovely day.:)

[Spadrylk]

Lazer - such a beautiful story - thank you for it - Do they still call you the Angel of death?

[lazer]

Hi Spadrylk,

I'm glad i was able to share one little experience with you all....

Oh!....no........it was an inhouse nickname....amoungst the nursing staff...on the ICU ward....

[Kari Lynn]

He told me that sometimes we have to let things we love go...and sometimes we have to give them permission to leave.
Beautiful experience. Brought me to tears as it reminded me of my dad.
My dad was in the ICU. After 12 days of horrible pain, he slipped into a coma. My brother and mom got to see him before then, talk to him. But I got there after he had went into a coma.
The visiting policy of the ICU ward was 10 minutes, and only two persons at a time. But knowing he was passing, they let all family in as long as they liked. So family came and went giving last repects. Talking to him. Eventually all family left and it was just me and my dad. I saw him move his lips. As if to speak. I thought (hopefully) maybe he's coming out of it. So I moved to his other side, and held to the hand that he could feel. (his left side was paralized.) I gave a squeeze of his good hand and said, "I'm not letting go of your hand until you take the hand of Jesus"
No sooner had I finished saying those words, he passed away.
The nurses evidently heard me on the monitor, and then saw him flat line. They told my mom it was the most beautiful thing they'd ever witnessed.

[LifeAngel]

Thank you Bill. Sometimes we forget how the smallest of things is the greatest of happiness.

[Indigo Expressions]

Thanks so much for sharing that beautiful story, Bill. I really enjoyed it. It goes to show how much beauty there is in simplicity.

Since I can't start my own threads yet, I'd like to share a story of my own. My very first paranormal experience. My parents ran a daycare for over 10 years out of our old house. Back in 2000 they started taking care of a newborn baby named Molly. Molly was a beautiful baby, and always full of smiles. She had an unnatural amount of hair for her age, which only added to her uniqueness.

She was a joy to be around, and my parents loved her to pieces. In January of 2001, Molly passed away in my parents' care. The official cause of her death was S.I.D.S. (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). My mother was a wreck for months. She couldn't leave the couch, and she couldn't stop crying.

During this grieving period my mother claimed to have seen Molly's ghost, floating near the wall clock in our living room. My mother said she was transparent, all in white and lacking legs. Molly told my mother that it wasn't her fault, and that she was fine.

It was soon after Molly's death that we noticed the "111" anomaly. Molly died on the date 1-11, at the recorded time 1:11, and she was 111 days old. Since realizing this, I've been seeing "111" everywhere. On clocks, on the internet, on street signs, it comes up in random calculations, it's in my driver's license, it was in my old cell number, it's everywhere. I've been seeing it consistently for over 10 years now. The 10 year anniversary date of Molly's death was 1-11-11 at 1:11 PM.

Ironically enough, after Molly's death her mother had twins. As though she was getting a child back for the one she lost. One evening she was in the living room with the twins. The twins were asleep, and she had the baby monitor on in Molly's old bedroom. She claimed to hear Molly crying over the baby monitor.

After this incident the paranormal events ceased until 2005 (though we were all still seeing "111" everywhere). In 2005 my parents declared bankruptcy and we lost our house. A couple months before we moved out, however, I was sitting up late at the computer one night around 2:30 AM. (I'm a night person)

I was the only one awake in the house. All of a sudden I hear this baby crying. I had no idea where it was coming from, but it sounded close (very close). I went outside to see if it was coming from somewhere in the neighborhood. The neighborhood was dead silent. I then realized it was coming from inside the house. After I went back inside the crying continued for another few minutes.

I decided not to tell anyone about the experience. I thought I was losing my mind. The next night (around the same exact time) the crying started again. Only this time it was coming from down the hallway toward my parents' bedroom. It was so loud that it woke my parents up. My mom came out of the bedroom and asked me if I heard the crying. I told her I did, and that it had happened the night before as well.

I can only attribute this to the fact that Molly knew we were moving out of that house, and didn't want to see us go. It seems as though some spirits tend to linger around the area in which they died (especially if their death was a tragic one). Molly unlocked my mind. She changed my life. She inspired me to start paranormal investigating, and also sparked my spiritual awakening. I've been through so many paranormal/supernatural/spiritual experiences since then, and I now view life in an entirely different perspective.

She was my miracle, my spiritual-catalyst.

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/3972/mollyex.jpg

[Lord Sidious]

Thanks so much for sharing that beautiful story, Bill. I really enjoyed it. It goes to show how much beauty there is in simplicity.

Since I can't start my own threads yet, I'd like to share a story of my own. My very first paranormal experience. My parents ran a daycare for over 10 years out of our old house. Back in 2000 they started taking care of a newborn baby named Molly. Molly was a beautiful baby, and always full of smiles. She had an unnatural amount of hair for her age, which only added to her uniqueness.

She was a joy to be around, and my parents loved her to pieces. In January of 2001, Molly passed away in my parents' care. The official cause of her death was S.I.D.S. (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). My mother was a wreck for months. She couldn't leave the couch, and she couldn't stop crying.

During this grieving period my mother claimed to have seen Molly's ghost, floating near the wall clock in our living room. My mother said she was transparent, all in white and lacking legs. Molly told my mother that it wasn't her fault, and that she was fine.

It was soon after Molly's death that we noticed the "111" anomaly. Molly died on the date 1-11, at the recorded time 1:11, and she was 111 days old. Since realizing this, I've been seeing "111" everywhere. On clocks, on the internet, on street signs, it comes up in random calculations, it's in my driver's license, it was in my old cell number, it's everywhere. I've been seeing it consistently for over 10 years now. The 10 year anniversary date of Molly's death was 1-11-11 at 1:11 PM.

Ironically enough, after Molly's death her mother had twins. As though she was getting a child back for the one she lost. One evening she was in the living room with the twins. The twins were asleep, and she had the baby monitor on in Molly's old bedroom. She claimed to hear Molly crying over the baby monitor.

After this incident the paranormal events ceased until 2005 (though we were all still seeing "111" everywhere). In 2005 my parents declared bankruptcy and we lost our house. A couple months before we moved out, however, I was sitting up late at the computer one night around 2:30 AM. (I'm a night person)

I was the only one awake in the house. All of a sudden I hear this baby crying. I had no idea where it was coming from, but it sounded close (very close). I went outside to see if it was coming from somewhere in the neighborhood. The neighborhood was dead silent. I then realized it was coming from inside the house. After I went back inside the crying continued for another few minutes.

I decided not to tell anyone about the experience. I thought I was losing my mind. The next night (around the same exact time) the crying started again. Only this time it was coming from down the hallway toward my parents' bedroom. It was so loud that it woke my parents up. My mom came out of the bedroom and asked me if I heard the crying. I told her I did, and that it had happened the night before as well.

I can only attribute this to the fact that Molly knew we were moving out of that house, and didn't want to see us go. It seems as though some spirits tend to linger around the area in which they died (especially if their death was a tragic one). Molly unlocked my mind. She changed my life. She inspired me to start paranormal investigating, and also sparked my spiritual awakening. I've been through so many paranormal/supernatural/spiritual experiences since then, and I now view life in an entirely different perspective.

She was my miracle, my spiritual-catalyst.

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/3972/mollyex.jpg

So the cycle of life continues.
Molly died and helped you to be reborn without the end of this life.
Welcome to Avalon.

[Nyce555]

So true Bill!!! True happiness is such a blessing

[unlockingyourhorizon]

The truth is always the sweetest. The most enjoyable notions of life are "free". possesions are mere material while spiritual and eternal bonds can be carried through to your next stages of our great journeys. Thank you all for your posts for my life has never consisted of mere materialism and i have always tried to meet as many people as i can. Perhaps my first memory will shed some light for you. As a young child, the only memory i could summon seemed to be sitting within the clouds slowly falling to the ground. I did not have any materialist things: just myself and the extreme comfort of knowing my existence.

[meeradas]

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/3972/mollyex.jpg

Thank you for the photo of Molly.
I love it. Her.
These eyes are looking inside me.

[Mr.Eman]

I love that story Bill , thanks .

I also have a life changing story like that as well .

In 1999 I had a courier business and was driving all night i , and occasionally I would turn on Art Bell and Coast to Coast AM. Most of the time I felt there were credibility issues with some of his guests but it was often entertaining anyways .

On this night the guest was Judy Goodman , I found her to be very credible and she began to tell a story about a fairly wealthy couple who were about to have a baby . When the baby was born there were serious heart problems and most likely the poor child would not make it , so they had to make a choice to try and save it with surgeries and treatments , or see if he would make it on its own .

The couple had never been faced with this type of heavy decision and had worked very hard to buy a nice house and developed a very comfortable living . Now this couple was faced with making a choice that would impact their lives and wealth because this procedure was very expensive and they could very well lose their home and all they ever worked for to try and save a child who's outlook by the doctors estimation was not encouraging .

So they had to make a huge decision , and after much consideration and arguing they took all their money to save this child , but the child only mildly responded and the doctors gave them the sad news that it was most likely the baby would probably pass within a day or maybe less , this couple lost everything their home , their money and were left with little more than a dying child , so as I remember they took the child home and off of machines and spent just one day in the sun by some trees and they held the child and sang to it and told it stories and how much they loved him and would do anything to have him here forever , but the child eventually passed peacefully later that day .

Jane Goodman goes on to explain the meaning of this poor child's life in the interview , and what happened as a result for the parents of the child , was that even though they lost everything and the child the couple learned about themselves and the value of life and money , and the couple became closer than ever and were happier people and and their love for each other had grown more than they had ever imagined , because they had discovered their deeper selves through this wonderful little child who only spent a number of weeks here on Earth .

Every life has such meaning I learned . Something happened to me that night after hearing that story , I wanted to be nice to everyone and see everyone for the miracle they are and maybe there is more to this life if we look a little deeper . The poor child made my life better too , and makes me so thankful for every day I get to spend with my own child .

all the best , to all
Mr. Eman

[Mod-edit: I took the liberty of adding some paragraphs to your post, so that others would find it easier to read. I hope that's OK. - Paul.]

[161803398]

These stories are lovely and interesting. I wish I had something to add to it that someone could relate to :) I have very clear memories of being a baby and growing up and I can say that I have deeply loved every rock, tree, flower, bug, bird and animal I have ever met. I also loved people at first until I realized that that almost of them made no sense to me partly because they did not hold the world or themselves in as high regard as I did. The regard they had for themselves was based on things I still haven't figured out. My life has been long series of events that, although normal to me, are completely strange to everyone else. I have meditated since I was old enough to sit quietly. I used to have the sensation of water running out of the top of my head and out of my heart chakra. I lost it when I hurt my back and went to the chiropractor to ask him if he could fix it but he had no idea what I was talking about. No one ever does. Its awful really. I somehow never clue in that I should probably keep my mouth shut when talking to anyone except my cat. I used to bubble over with joy about things that would make other people's mouths drop open. I somehow could never remember what people could and couldn't take in. I was very grateful and relieved when that "What the Bleep?" movie came out. So maybe, that movie changed my life because, at least, it told people there was something else.

[Twinsel]

Wow, powerfull emotion behind this story, have tears in my eyes. Thnx for sharing this Bill, much appreciate.

I had a woman who you could say she was my spiritual teacher. I have learned alot of here, even when i was in denial of something, only time was needed to be accepting the fact she was right (yes i'am a stubborn :) ). After a few meetings and some time to loose my selmade dogmatic views about a dear girlfriend of me (i thougt she was my twinsoul and thought i couldn't love someone else then only that girlfriend, but thats a long story ^^), she told me that if i wanted, she could bring me in contact with my spiritual guide, or some people would say, there angel. I said yes to here, and she was telling me my guide was a female and she was standing next to me, spreading there hands out to me. Just like me she experienced the great sadness what i was feeling in my heart. I had my eyes closed, and my spiritual teacher told me, my guide was my twinsoul, and at that moment i could feel the love all over me. It was so intense, i immediatly started to cry, like a flashlight of emotions, missing here, loving here, connecting again.... It was a amazing experience.

[prc]

Dear Bill,

Thanks for this account.
In order to be on this forum we had to answer a few questions. When I was asked about my plan for the future I just replied that I live the present. It took me 28 years of my life to stop focusing the future and start to be happy with small things in life. It took me 28 years to give importance to those that really matter in life : our family!

Kind Regards,
Paula

[Eyes2theSkies]

:) Thanks Bill, it really makes me happy that I joined the forum and was able to share this look into your life that I would not have otherwise known about. Many of my fellow Avalonians are right, many of us who are on this path have similar stories to tell. I think this would be a great spot to share some of those moments!

I grew up in a suburb that was known for its relative wealth compared to the city and some of the other suburbs, however, my family was solidly middle class...and at times lower middle class in a community of upper middle to high class families. It has only been during my adult years that I have begun to stop my materialistic view of the world and accomplishment in life. I have always appreciated artists and free thinkers, and been amazed at how many of these types of folks are in careers of all types. The '60s were the beginning of this awakening so, being born in 1970 I have been riding this wave of change and awakening and enlightment all of my life.

One of the main things that has changed my life is the work of Whitley Stieber especially Communion and Transformation: The Breakthrough. His more recent work such as the Key have been influencial but, raised more questions than answers, of course, that is part of the joy of Whitley, to know that there are always more questions. Almost every time I have read Communion or Transformation I have experienced more or reactivated contact with extraterrestrials or more broadly "the visitors". Sometimes this increase in activity has been UFO sightings, sometimes it has been a stretch of interactions - abductions if you must. I have found that by learning some of the control and meditation techniques Whitley has spoken of, has allowed me to gain a certain amount of control of these situations. He has helped me move beyond the shock and fear into a state of awe and desire to learn what I can. This has changed my life and I hope to one day shake Whitley's hand for how much he has helped me. I have already corrisponded with him and given him much thanks for what he has done and he has humbly accepted the thanks and done even more to help me, personally.

While this work was going on, I came across a website called Project Camelot. At first I wasn't sure if it was on the level and had to take some time to watch many interviews and found myself hoping for something to change. There seemed to be a missing element, questions that weren't being asked and it was driving me nuts. Then along comes this crazy english or australian guy, who always wears an outback hat, named Bill Ryan, and he begins to ask the questions that I would have asked if I would have been in the room!! As time went on, I found Bill to be a very capable interviewer on his own and quite charming and entertaining when teamed with Kerry. They became an important staple of my life because they were out there doing what I would love to do, if I didn't have all the worldly obligations that I do. Then one day it hit me, they aren't that different from me, except that they are willing to put it all on the line and invest their time, energy and money in to finding insiders who are willing to tell the public what no one else wants us to know! Well, things have not gone well for me since I found Bill and Kerry so, I haven't been able to contribute to their work, other than by spreading the word about what they are doing, who they are talking to and how good a job they are doing of waking up the masses! I hope that in the near future I will be able to give them a monitary contribution to help keep this important work going on and to show my appreciation for all they have done.

So, Bill, you have helped me learn so much about what is really going on in the world that I can not thank you enough!! There have been times that your interviews have brought tears to my eyes and there have been times I've wanted to shout for joy that someone is finally out there saying what needs to be said without worrying about who you might offend. You and Kerry are my heros as well as simply people I love and can relate to. I don't know if you'll be at the Pythagarous conference or not but, I sincerely hope that you will be, because I plan to attend with my best friend and fellow UFO researcher Caleb, whom I've known for about 34 years now. I look forward to meeting Kerry and will let her know how much I appreciate her work as well as yours.

There were two other very important moments that changed my life, that I would like to share. The first was when I was about ten years old and saw my first grey. He was hiding in a pile of brush in a ravine behind my school when I discovered him retrieving an errant playground ball. It's one of those moments like a first kiss, you'll always remember it, it leads to vastly more interesting things and it only happens once. It is a very involved and long story that I won't get into here but, it was a shock to speak to someone telepathically yet, it seemed perfectly natural somehow.

The other moment that changed my life was a few years ago when I had a mantis being in my bedroom after returning from one of my encounters. Often my encounters with the visitors are teaching or rather learning experiences and this was at a point where they seemed to be on the brink of being willing to visit me while I was in a "normal" fully aware state, rather than the usual sort of "abduction awareness" which I would describe as sort of a groggy memory. Part of my inner work at this time was dealing with living by myself for the first time and dealing with the extra fear that this situation brought to my "abduction" experiences. For years, decades even, I had become accustomed to them because it has happened all of my life but, living alone in a new neighborhood just brought things to a point that was nearly like what I felt the first few times it happened.

This particular night I had done well in working with the greys - again there are lots of details I will leave out to keep this brief - and we had a longer visit than usual and it was just about dawn when I was returned. I was being escorted from behind and had assumed there were one or two greys with me. Upon arriving next to my bed and preparing to lie down, I turned around to say goodbye and to my great surprise the being behind me was a mantis about 7-8 ft tall - his head nearly touched the eight foot ceilings in my home. Though I had read about these beings a little, I had never seen a good acurate depiction of one and was shocked by their menacing appearance. There was only a little twinge of shock and fear at first but, then I asked it why it was there. It replied that he was there because I had told the greys that I was ready to fully understand what all of this UFO, aliens and abduction business was all about, I had convinced them that my fear was gone. He told me that this wasn't going to be easy for me, which is why I needed to be near my bed, in case I fainted straight out from what I was about to be told. What happened next was such a shock that I have still not recovered all of my memory of what happened but, I will state that it made me more frightened than I have ever felt in my entire life. This had the effect of making me slightly depressed, mentally foggy, dazed and generally out of it for several days!! The closest I have seen to what happened was in the recent movie "Paul" where he transfers all of his knowledge and experience to the RV Park girl and the two guys, it was also remeniscent of the learning visuals used on the Lawnmower Man. I was shown so much and so many aspects of the real reality made me sad, angry, scared and abused that it literally overloaded my brain and I passed out. For days I would say that I had an overwhelming feeling of helplessness, being doomed to a horrible fate that I was born into.

To this day I don't know what that is or exactly what I was told and shown. It made me feel a new sense of kinship with everyone on the planet, gave me the feeling of knowing that no one has an advantage over anyone else on this planet, no matter how rich, famous, happy, powerful or whatever else a person is, in the end we are all the same. Beyond that we share a fate that scares me but, I don't know whether it is a catastrophie or just such a huge change that it will be a major shock to everyone. I am hopeful that it is the coming of the shift in paradigms that many of us feel is on the way, something that will change us for the better, not something that will destroy us.

Becasue of these influences I have devoted myself to doing what I came here to do - help my friends, family and neighbors through the coming transition. That is the best way I can describe what I feel and my preincarnation memories. We are on the brink of a brave new world and we hold the key in our hands - computers, books, videos, our minds, our hearts and our souls. If we stay true to our sense of brotherhood, sisterhood and love for nature we will make this transition with grace and move on to a bright new future where we truely are free. God bless you all. Thanks for reading. All the best to Bill and thanks again for sharing - you 've changed my life, buddy! :)

[Limor Wolf]

Eyes2thesky,Thank you for sharing your story with us.The helplessness feeling of not knowing what is exactly to come is the most challenging part for all of us,but it is also part of the 'game',because if we knew what will come,we would not act according to what we need to do and change the results of' the story'.

I believe that the reason that the ones who are in touch with me dont show themselvs to me (not greys) is that they know that I will be afraid,even though I claim differently.please keep sharing your experiences and welcome to Avalon!

~*&^~*&

Limor

[Christine Breese]

The best years of my life, the highlight of my life, was when I spent six years in the wilderness with nothing but my backpack. I'd come out for a month here and there and get some job and save $1000 over a month and could go back in the wilderness for another 6 months of spiritual self inquiry and introspection. That went on for all those years. Now my life is so complicated, and I do yearn for the easy days of hiking the pacific crest trail, the four corners, Mexico, all of that, it was such a simple and happy time for me. Now my life is all about deadlines, faxes, mail, getting this done, that done, drowning in biz paperwork. I sure do yearn for the simple days, and am working my way back toward creating that again. When life is simple, it's so much easier to see what's important. OK, well, back to working on the mountain of paper work for filing late taxes before the extension deadline! Drown em in paperwork, they say!

[shamanseeker]

[QUOTE=Lost Soul;139146]I saw an old mafioso spoon feed an armless black man. He voluntarily did this each meal and would feed the armless man before eating his own food. Like a father to a young son, he would use the spoon to wipe the corner of the man's mouth and speak kindly to him while feeding him. I learned compassion from it.[/QUOTE
Thank you for sharing this, Lost Soul - a good example of how we should not be judgemental or think in terms of good and evil. This old mafioso showed a lot more compassion than most.

[shamanseeker]

You are a beautiful person :-) Thank you for your post!

[shamanseeker]

I love cats and have a very close relationship with them. A friend of mine takes in stray cats looks after them and loves them very much but is terrified of death and is desperate to keep them alive. She had a very loving cat who was really sick and was on a lot of medication for months and months. I could tell she was tired and exhausted and not just physically. When my friend wasn't in the room one day something moved me to tell the cat that if she wanted to move on over to the other side she could. She listened to me intently. The next morning when I was in that half awake state in bed, I saw the cat and she was playing happily, skipping around. She had the appearance of a young cat. This 'vision' stayed with me after I woke up. When I went to visit my friend, needless to say the cat had passed over that night!

[Dawn]

One winter day about 3 years ago I had a wonderful reminder of what happens when I walk on the earth with gratitude. I felt so cold as I watched the raindrops sliding down the glass pane of my window and looked out to the lead gray clouds covering the valley. A longing for warm Mushroom soup began to form in my mind. Unfortunately I had given away all my dried mushrooms as a gift to my sister.

Later in the afternoon as the rain subsided to a misty sprinkle I found myself suddenly longing for a hike in the woods. I decided to go on a drive to the unspoiled oak woodlands for my walk. Thoughts of mushrooms had fled from my mind... I was enjoying the rich sensuous moisture that was everywhere. As I entered the woods I stopped to honor the ancient trees with a prayer of thanksgiving. I literally put my hands together in prayer and thanked the mossy trees for being there, I also asked them to heal and sooth my body as I walked in the woods. As soon as the prayer was sent, it was answered with a return energy and love that made gooseflesh rise on my arms and chest.

About 2 miles into the walk I suddenly noticed oyster mushrooms growing on a tree trunk beside the trail. Instantly I knew I had been guided to this particular trail as an answer to my longing for mushroom soup. I asked if I could pick them and waited for an energetic answer. (This is the way all of us used to be in the world... one with everything and always operating under the Law of One, or the highest and best good for all concerned). Well, to my surprise the answer was a very resounding ‘NO’.

I found myself in a dialog with a being who I could not see but certainly could be aware of. ‘He’ said he was connected to the portal (see the blog photo) and was the gardener for the mushrooms. His viewpoint was that people were ‘always taking - never giving’.... and he was angry at me for desiring his mushrooms.

I thought how we humans must look to some of the others who live beside us on the planet and I realized we had become ‘takers’ without giving in return. Then I remembered I was carrying a small shiny white pebble I had picked up some years ago at the beach and I asked if he would accept it as an offering of gratitude for his beautiful work as the mushroom gardener.

His attitude changed utterly, and his energy soared to joy and delight. After I carefully tucked the white pebble into the moss on the tree bark, I was suddenly showered with intense energy which I experienced as a sort of 'quickening' light. He had showered me and the mushrooms with healing energy as a gift. He invited me to take what I needed and I picked about half of them, stuffing my rain jacket pockets.

As I walked away, he began to broadcast to all the surrounding woods ‘Here comes one walking in the old way, honor her’. We had exchanged the gift of utter gratitude for each other’s being. I continued down the trail with tears of joy streaming down my face as I began to comprehend the difference this gift had made to the forest energy.
http://web.me.com/dawnmazur/Site/Dawns_Blog/Entries/2010/1/15_in_gratitude_to_the_mushroom_gardener_files/shapeimage_1.png

I got home just before dinner and the soup I made was fantastic. The mushrooms were healing and filled with the life of the woods and the blessing of the light the devic spirit had given them.

Later I received this quite from SnowLionPublications.com and although I am not Buddhist I knew it was speaking about what I had experienced.

Dharma Quote of the Week
...according to such authors as the second buddha, Rangjung Dorje, and the realized master, Kacho Wongpo...
You should accompany pilgrimage with three qualities of your bearing: physical, verbal, and mental restraint, as instructed in the Buddha's teachings on discipline; the development of the mind of awakening, as instructed in the teachings on the transcendent perfections; and the pure tantric commitments, as instructed in the teachings of Secret Mantra. Purify the obscuring effects of past negative physical acts by giving up such things as riding horses or wearing hats. Purify the obscuring effects of negative verbal acts by reciting prayers and singing praises. Purify the obscuring effects of negative mental acts by maintaining devotion, respect, and pure vision. In summation, while on pilgrimage give up all activity detrimental to spiritual life and be consistently attentive, mindful, and faithful.
On pilgrimage, renounce playful jokes and jests, raucous laughter, and idle conversation. Leave far behind any worldly concern, such as for food, drink, and fashion. In particular, scrupulously avoid such acts as intoxication, arguments, and loud shouting.
...Don't place imaginary limits on the miraculous manifestations of spiritual heroes and dakinis in this place: regard everything you see, good or bad--human beings, animals, birds, mice, deer, or carnivorous animals--with faith and pure vision.
--from Sacred Ground: Jamgon Kongtrul on "Pilgrimage and Sacred Geography" by Ngawang Zangpo, a Tsadra Foundation Series book, published by Snow Lion Publications

[Eyes2theSkies]

I know what you mean about not knowing the future being better, Limor. That just sounds like it would be a major trap that could lead one into complacency and despair. I think the best approach is to think each decision in life through very carefully and have faith that you are making the best decision you know how. Which isn't to say a person can't make mistakes but, the point is to learn from the ones that we do make, without dwelling on the mistake itself but, remembering for future reference.

It is my pleasure to finally have such a great place to share my story with people who understand and care. This is not the easiest place to find, as most of us have found out through the years. After all the things I've been through in life it is nice to have a place where I am appreciated, especially in regard to the subjects this forum deals with. Ever since about 4th grade I have read every book, newspaper or magazine article I could find on UFOs and aliens, as well as watched TV shows, movies and art dealing with the subject. Back then, I already knew we weren't alone I simply wasn't aware why I felt this way yet it was a very strong feeling that I felt was very important to me. At the same time I began an equal obsession with reading every book and watch every TV show about marine life. It is interesting that over the years the two of converged to the point where we have reports of everything from aliens who are humanoid aquatic life to a vast inteligence in Earth's whales to dolphin human hybrids and anything in between. This is what is fun about leading a life with an open mind and a love of learning, it can lead is anywhere...including back to where we started.

You might be right, Limor, the ones who are in touch with you probably have a greater sense of your inner fears than you yourself do. Reading Strieber's books, starting with Communion, have helped me confront, deal with and eventually concour my fears and expand my awareness. The entire idea of a horror writer dealing with massive, paralyzing fear was what originally intregued me into reading his work but, as he began putting together his own puzzle from the peices they had left him so I began to see explanations for my previously mentioned knowledge of these others or visitors, for lack of a better term. I have read and reread many of his books and found that each time they prove to be a trigger or catalyst for me, my mind and whatever is going on comes into the light of day, as if sensing what you are reading and engaging you in the exploration. I also found his book "The Key" to be really amazing and helpful so long as you stick to thinking like he does and leaving a bit of room for questioning reality, perception and other factors, yet taking the information seriously and considering its possible validity. Therefore reading this book in such a manner is, in its own way, theraputic and helpful in the growth and enlightenment of ones awareness, spirit and conciousness.

Through all this work I have found that fear is one of the most difficult personal issues to deal with. Never is this more true than when dealing with such seemingly impossible beings as these visitors and their equally incredible technology. That alone is such a huge issue to deal with and work through accepting, we often forget how much we have to learn about ourselves and how much we can do to improve and prepare for whatever may come. Fear is the one true instinct that we carry, fully intact, into modern life and rightfully so, because our sense of fear has helped us to survive for so long and through vastly varying places and environmental conditions. So what is helpful when working on really deep fears which you may not feel are even there, is to put yourself into situations that will draw these out. Try going for a walk in the dark, late at night, in a remote forest, at least a few miles away from the nearest home or civilization of any kind. The further in the wilderness you can get, the better -in fact I still want to take a trip out to one of the large national parks and do this again myself, where I am really far away from civilization becasue the place where I have been the furthest away was maybe camping in the northern part of Wisconsin. That would actually be an easier goal to accomplish because it is so much closer...yes, maybe I need to go back to Wisconsin...it really seemed like if we could have been further away from other campers and I had people of like mind with me, contact could have easily been made. Just like the stars, the visitors seem much closer the further away from the city I get. Anyway, the point is to draw the fears out, see them, acknoledge them and deal with them so that your contact experiences may change and evolve in such a way as to improve your life and your spirit.

What are your experiences like, if you don't mind sharing? I'm just interested so that I know which of my experiences would interest or help you.

Thank you very much for the warm welcome! I really am happy to have become part of this community and have enjoyed all of my interactions. Avalon has some of the nicest, kindest, most honest and caring people in it, that I have ever met and it is a huge privellage to be here - I am highly honored and humbled to take part.

[Avocadess]

Wow, this thread has been a real treasure trove of stories, thoughts, sentiments and experiences. Thanks to all of you for sharing!

One story from my life kept coming to my mind as I was reading these stories. It was a real eye-opener for me and happened when I was about 22 years old.

All my life I have been an empathetic kind of person, though I didn't always know what to do with those feelings. When I would see people who were terribly handicapped or disfigured it would always make me feel hurt and sad, and when I would see these people -- just walking by them or whatever -- I would look away, feeling sad for their condition but helpless to do anything.

Then I got a very strange "infection" on my face. I was later told it was a staph infection which was complicated by the fact that the cream I had been putting on it for a month had an herb in it which I was allergic to. And there may have been another complication -- I can no longer remember as this was well over 30 years ago -- but what happened was that after about a month I started to (literally) have a face that looked like a "monster" -- with my entire face swollen and inflamed and red and covered with what looked like large pimples (and more I won't go into because I don't mean to gross you out, lol).

During this time, sometimes I would look in the mirror and "pose" and growl and laugh (though my face and lips were too swollen to move into a smile), pretending to be a monster on the cover of a monster magazine. It helped me to "lighten up."

At the time I was living in a monastic order (of Eastern type ideology) and about 20-30 others lived in the same house (ashram) as me. I started noticing that people avoided me like the plague. I would be on one side of the dining room in a doorway and people coming home from their daily work would begin to walk in and then suddenly turn around and not enter the room. I saw this happen again and again, and found that only four people out of 20 or 30 of my "housemates" would ever come close to me, look into my eyes or speak to me at all. And I realized that that was exactly how *I* used to respond to people I saw who seemed to be in a terrible condition.

I learned that when other people won't look you in the eye or speak to you, it is a very isolating, lonely and sad experience -- as if others are trying to block you out of their world or out of existence. I learned that it meant a lot to me just to have someone acknowledge my existence by looking me in the eye. (This went on for me for several weeks before the condition was healed.) I did not eat with the others anymore because the one time I went to do that the person across the table from me said he couldn't eat with me sitting there. I just stayed down in my temporary basement bedroom and came upstairs when most people were not there, so as not to make them uncomfortable any more than necessary.

Ever since I always make a point to look people in the eye -- friends and strangers alike -- who are in obviously/outwardly severely uncomfortable conditions, as well as those who "society" thinks of as scary or criminal-looking, etc. I know that by looking them in the eye I am acknowledging them -- and in my heart I am saying (to the strangers), "I don't know you, but I acknowledge you. I respect you are a real person and I hope you can feel that I do care about you, though our paths may cross only for this instant."

Since then, I find that I never (or almost never) feel afraid of dangerous-looking strangers, etc. Yes, I am afraid of them in the sense that some who are outing out in a psychotic/violent manner are scary, but I know that I am "giving" them, through my eyes, a sense of respect and care that we ALL need to feel -- and I know that it is highly unlikely they will harm me. The ones who are the most dangerous either will not meet my eyes or cannot "see" me when they do -- and a person can tell the difference.

In the much more recent times I have added one more practice, if you will. Some people these days -- I am sure all of us have seen it? -- will be acting out in a loud and violent and obviously psychotic way out in public -- on a bus, in the park, on the street, etc. All my antenna raise the red flags. With these people I am not seeking eye contact. With these people I send them (visualize all around them) a Pure Divine Living Light with the inner prayer that the best that can happen will be. This happened twice this past week. In both cases right after I did that the persons who had been shouting out loudly and violently became quiet and went on their way, as I did mine...

[shamanseeker]

Thanks, Lord Sidious :-)

[shamanseeker]

Lovely, Abundant Traveler :-)

[LucidVisions]

Bless you and all that you do. I have always taught my children to look people in the eyes (their souls) and to treat them with respect, even if they have an illness or deformity. We are all Spirits living in human bodies. Namaskar to you!

[Phoenix1304]

Your story reminds me of my favourite Wayne Dwyer quote "Happiness is not what you find in life, it's what you bring to it".

I agree with Limor, most probably a very advanced soul.

[bridgetlilstar]

Thank you Bill. That story of yours nearly moved me to tears... wow. Great lesson there!

[tenacity1]

perhaps he "chose this life" to wake people up to compassion. Maybe he was there to make folks realize that the worth of a human is not material things . We have a Vietnam Vet in our town called "Happy" . One leg, broke and begging and he never stops smiling. Most folks in our town ignore him..sighs...
I think folks like this come along to make us realize how many in this world are suffering . Maybe he is there to galvanize those of us with hearts into action. There is much I'd like to say about this. My entire focus of my writing for a very long time is to bring to light the way the disabled are treated in our country. In my town, the right walk around people who are homeless to get to their anti abortion rally. The far left walks around them to get to their save the Magnolia tree rally. Both sides make me want to cry. One group in America that only gets press when they are spoken off as a "cost to the taxpayer". This too happened in Hitlers Germany. I don't mean to bring anyone down. This is simply what I have seen.
No judgement no condemnation.. Just an observation.

[Bill Ryan]

:bump:

Dear All —

As we start to slide into the Brave New World of 2015, and all it may hold, I have several times found myself thinking of the personal story I shared nearly four years ago in the opening post (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?14157-An-experience-that-changed-my-life&p=139100&viewfull=1#post139100) of this thread.

It's one of the most thanked posts in Avalon's history, but the credit is not due to me... it all belongs to the man I encountered and described, and whose approach to his circumstances may be an inspired example for us all. Do read. :)

[eaglespirit]

:bump:

Dear All —

As we start to slide into the Brave New World of 2015, and all it may hold, I have several times found myself thinking of the personal story I shared nearly four years ago in the opening post (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?14157-An-experience-that-changed-my-life&p=139100&viewfull=1#post139100) of this thread.

It's one of the most thanked posts in Avalon's history, but the credit is not due to me... it all belongs to the man I encountered and described, and whose approach to his circumstances may be an inspired example for us all. Do read. :)

I must have been traveling and missed Your sharing, until today,
Thank You Dearly : )

When I relieved myself of my belongings a number of years ago I kept 3 bags of clothing and personal artifacts,
and those 3 bags were too much.

I 'feel' the Love of that Man : )

[regnak]

what a great story bill I was deeply moved

[Innocent Warrior]

Charles has also shared a profound experience that changed him. (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?11934-Questions-for-Charles-ONLY%21&p=105623&viewfull=1#post105623) Please also read this.

I tried to read this but got, "Innocent Warrior, you do not have permission to access this page." I enjoyed your story, Bill, and the "Butterfly Lady" story so much, I was looking forward to reading Charles'. Maybe that is on a sub forum or something so I was wondering if his story could be copy and pasted onto this one? If not, then no problem.

Edit: Bill, if you come accross this, don't worry about it. You're obviously really busy and this is not at all important. It also occured to me that Charles's story could be posted throught a big thread, more like Simon Parks' thread and not on one post, like yours on this thread. I wouldn't ask you to do it if I thought that was the case, just so you know. My apologies, I won't bother you with anything like this in the future.

[Tesla_WTC_Solution]

--------

Dear All:

Richard has already shared a moving personal story about the Butterfly Lady. (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?238-The-Butterfly-Lady-A-True-Story-of-Love) I do recommend that you read it.

Charles has also shared a profound experience that changed him. (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?11934-Questions-for-Charles-ONLY%21&p=105623&viewfull=1#post105623) Please also read this.

I'd like to join Richard and Charles by telling a story of my own. It's a simple story which I've never shared except with my closest friends.

In 1989 I was in Nairobi for a couple of weeks. I was staying in a small guest house a couple of miles from the city center.

Every day I walked down the long road to the post office and market, and walked back. And every day I passed a beggar who was sitting on a dirty blanket at a street corner.

This man's arms and legs were shriveled. He could not walk. He wore a loincloth. He sat on the ground, and crawled around on his blanket. He had nothing at all.

But each time I passed by - twice a day for 14 days - he was surrounded by people. They were laughing, joking, having fun. The little beggar-man was always happy. His face was permanently wreathed in smiles. This was where the party was at, all the time, every day.

He was the man. I never once saw him other than enjoying life to the full. His friends - many of them - clearly loved him dearly.

This experience changed me profoundly. Every day I wondered at this man and his friends. One of my greatest regrets is that I never approached him to say hello.

Ten years later, I returned to Nairobi. I tried hard to find him. I wanted to give him something to thank him for his great contribution to my life. I could not. I assume he had died.

I can never tell this story on stage or in an interview: I would not be able to keep it together. That little man, bless his eternal soul, taught me that one does not have not have things to be happy: one only has to create one's own joy with the people one loves. In the context of this, little else matters.

Brings a tear to the eye.
Seems like you would have loved Mother Theresa had the timing been right :(

Sorry for not reading more of your threads sooner.
Some people are stuck in their own heads a bit.

I feel that you really respect life Bill Ryan,
please keep it up, the world needs that stuff.

[CarlS]

At this point, when I think of remembering what I knew before the amnesia implants, or being on a previous planet again with my family and friends, I feel a level of joy that is so intense,the tears are trying to flow.

[e.Man]

wow, this story reminds me of a friend of mine - it is utterly incredible how our "condition" is almost entirely a result of nothing more than ones state of mind

so, my friend was was already crippled up from severe arthritis (or something), to the point where his ribs rubbed against his hips and walking was chore - he was in constant pain, but never complained and had a great sense of humor - he had long passed the expiration date given by doctors and, despite his problems, was going very strong - he was one of the most stubborn sob's i've ever met, and i think that trait plays a key role here

so he's working as an auto mechanic pressure testing a gas tank ... with gas in it (he broke rule number 1)

nearby there was a fuel heater that had an open flame or pilot light (strike 2)

the tank burst and he was covered in gasoline (strike 3)

2nd and 3rd degree burns over most of his body - they said the flames coming off his body were almost touching the ceiling which was 20-30 ft. high

given his existing problems, doctors didn't expect him to live

i went to the hospital to see him and damn near dropped - i could barely recognize him

they were in the process of rebuilding his ears, which were burnt off, by using stitches to create rolls of skin on his neck, then they would detach one end of the roll and sew it on to his ear and slowly keep doing this - his nose, hands, head, arms, legs, stomach were all burnt

his wife brought him a new pair of white sneakers

when Carl saw those damned shoes, his face lit up like a 4-yr old on x-mas morning

that sone of a gun had one hell of a constitution

needless to say, he survived and, eventually, went back to work and continued to pursue his passion in auto mechanics

he died a while back and he is greatly missed by many, but he left us with one hell of a legacy

[sunpaw]

Thank you for this wonderful story.

I think you have given him a gift still:
After all this years he is remembered, loved, cherished - by so many people besides his friends there.

Thank you.