Reiki and Shadow

Out of the blue this past Sunday, our soon-to-be 11 yr old dog Shadow had a seizure as he began to eat dinner. Logan and I comforted him (didn't realize that we should stand back until it passed) and then sat with him throughout the night. After observation at the vet over the next day and a half, I took him home to be with us. As the days passed, he seemed to get stronger. Strong enough that the idea of putting him down was removed and the need to treat him with Reiki grew.

Whenever I would do Reiki on somebody, be it upstairs or downstairs out of Shadow's vision, he would whine and shift in place when he saw me. Anytime I would reach out to touch him directly, he would pull away. Since Reiki can only exist with a willing recipient, I would not pursue him. I would from a distance of about 3-4 feet and reach out to him which was agreeable to him.

Now as soon as he went down with his seizure, I began to Reiki him to just bring him comfort. Logan and Dad looked on at me - slightly amused (dad) and slightly annoyed (Logan) as I did it. The vibration was there and a strong heat by his stomach. Sure enough, he has a mass in his stomach as the $160 X-Rays showed the next day.

Once he returned home, each night I sat with him and took a few minutes to reach out to him. Direct contact made him uncomfortable, but scanning my hands over him relaxed him greatly. The purpose of Reiki (God's Energy / Universal Energy) is to reduce stress and let the energies within flow. I never felt more connected to Reiki until now.

As a newer practitioner, I understand that until you experience it for yourself, it sounds a bit 'out there.' Good news, enough of my friends and colleagues have had good experiences that I am able to quietly take in the wonder of Reiki.

Looking forward to visiting my #1 recipient Rudi. It's been a few months, and I cannot wait for his critiquing. The nicest thing I was told, and by him, was that he couldn't describe the feeling. It was just like being in a cloud of my love wrapping around him from head to toe. What could be nicer than such a feeling? So I end with "Got Reiki?"

Post Script: It is nearly one month later. Reiki became a very comforting part of Shadow's hospice care. He'd lay at the foot of the bed panting each night. (This panting was a result of the anemia's effect to his oxygen levle.) I would rest above him on the bed and direct the Reiki over his body. Within minutes, the panting would subside, and he would go into a very relaxed state.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

We're in the heart and heat of summer and so much has been going on. Time to bullet point for catch-up purposes.

*Logan did very well on his regents exams (he took two 9th grade exams as an 8th grader) and is moving on to High School come September.

*We already expect Logan & swim pals, Jimmy and Kenny, to make HS Varsity swim team as they already have qualifying times beat.

*Logan's 8-month relationship with Hannah ended. After a month of quiet time, he is beginning to date swim teammate Samantha. I understand Hannah also seeing new boy. Ahhh! Young love. They make it see so effortless.

*Reiki has become part of my life in many areas from treating others as well as myself on a daily basis.

*Still fighting the battle of the bulge. Hoping band adjustment will jump-start me as my lovely body fights me to let nothing go.

*Work has been more challenging then ever. We were hit with some terrible losses to our team by reassignments. Nobody saw this coming. I continue to hold my position and am now back under ML still as contingent worker with employee status dangling in front of me.

*Logan & Bill dealing with some issues coming to the surface. Some repair work needed. At a loss on how to fix this and understand that it may not be mine to fix. Frustrating all around.

*Summer swimming has begun which includes 6am practices for Long Course (Olympic sized laps) and 8:30am for summer team. Logan is exhausted but at an all time top physical shape. Just need to improve nutrition to support this active lifestyle. Thank God for refreshing fruit season!

*Home interior design projects have begun. "Project Musical Rooms" has begun. More to come as we begin painting room 1 of 3 this weekend.

*Summer vacay all set. Logan & Kevin traveling for week planned with family in Florida with an added visit from me on tail end. On top of that, I'm taking a day off each week plus one week on vacation at home. Time for some much needed down time.

And...life goes on!

Happy Kerry Day!

With much anticipation, last night, Kelly and I were excited to give Kerry her belated birthday gift and night out celebration.

We always go Dutch on dinner for all b-day dinners, but the b-day girl gets to pick restaurant, final decision maker on all dishes, as we love to share, and of course, gets presents!

Looks like we have an ongoing theme for our gifts which gives tribute to "The Five Senses." It's actually an easy concept, but since each of us have different tastes (literally) and pleasure hot spots, it's still very individualized. I love it!

Kerry's bounty this year was:

Sight: a Louise Hay book (can't wait to borrow it)
Hearing: Celtic meditations and other Emerald Isle CDs
Smell: lavender soap with lavender husks mixed in
Taste: yummy Godiva and candy coated sunflower seeds (bright colors...for a bright new year)
Touch: a gift certificate (leaving the ego out of it, I promise!) for a full Reiki treatment by my gaining-so-much-confidence hands

And in case, we missed the mark on one of the senses, a gift card to Sephora. Yes, even taste can be enjoyed at this makeup haven if you get flavored lip balm. I'm still trying to figure out where "hearing" fits in, maybe the spritz sound of a favorite perfume.

Moving on to the celebration part of this night...which began with a very delayed seating. I wasn't to happy as we knew our table was given away BUT, as always, it worked out even better for us. We were seated in our favorite corner by wine rack. Great food, tasty pomegranate martini for me, and full tummies as we waddled to our cars.

Our final gift was escorting Kerry safely to her car to save her from the Gilgo Beach serial killer(s?) as she had parked in the back lot and had secluded alleyway to walk through And with that final gift of extending her life, we left her with love in our hearts, smiles on our faces, and anticipation for our next K3 night.

Happy New Year, our dear friend!

Memorial Day Approaches

What an exciting weekend I have planned. It seems like it's been forever and a day since I remember a weekend like this. We have n-o-t-h-i-n-g on our lists of tasks, projects, or 'contributions' calling out for our immediate attention. Nor are there any swim meets, doctor or hair appointments, or any work-at-home projects planned.

I should have known it would be a great weekend when Kerry's K3 birthday dinner was set for Friday at our beloved Tula's Kitchen. Remember how it used to be Cafe Symposio? Times have changed.

Unexpectedly, Logan is with me this year as this was Bill's weekend. Another fun fact...I love lazy time with him. I'm sure we'll visit our Gamestop buddies more than once but Xbox is limited to the mornings before I wake up. Yes, I get to sleep late too! Even thinking of Saturday evening or late morning mass on Sunday. Sleep is good!

I'm thinking that Dave's got to get the BBQ ready for a nice family dinner...or the beginning of many dinners. Yep, summer is right around the corner. I'm getting all tingly inside. Can you feel it?!

I'm off to work now and will officially get my vibe start pumping for the weekend as Fleet Week starts right outside the office down the Hudson River. God bless our service men & women! And God bless America...on this special Memorial Day and always.

Disclaimer: This post was a "family update" message. Not intended to 'wow' any potential publishers as a sample of my writing. In other words, it was nothing. LIke Seinfeld's "nothing." This post was based on nothing.

Summer Can Now Begin

Mom & Rudi flew home this morning after their annual 2-week spring visit. As my days are so full, time always too short BUT the perfect balance for all-even Logan this time.

Within this time, there were swim meets, visits to Manhattan, weekend in CT, a little belly dancing, bike riding, evening Reiki sessions, and my favorite...mom's planting of the spring flowers.

NOW summer can begin!

The Ultimate Goddess

I am blessed.

Last night, I was able to share something with my mom that most mothers would eagerly avoid. My mom (a.k.a. Logan's Joanie) joined me for a Goddess session while visiting.

While driving the 30 minute ride to the studio, I prepared her for the night. It was everything that I explained. It was just like I first blogged in March. And yet, she had no idea as to what she was in for.

The night's class was larger than usual and included another mother daughter plus a soulmate mother/daughter duo. It was a mother/daughter overload. How special for us!

In a share-circle, we introduced ourselves and charged up the energy of the room with women-power. Moved on to nearly an hour of dancing and smiles.A bit of Reiki by Jessamina heating up mom's feet once again (see previous post) and ending with a guided meditation re-introducing ourselves to the Amazon Woman within us and the Lady-Lover hidden away under every day matters. My Goddess-Mother took it all in as the good sport she always is.

During the ride home, inspired by the evening, I was able to explain further what the sessions represent to me and the affect they have on me. I learned that previous posts missed their target with mom. NOW, after experiencing it and talking it through...mom really gets it.

I am a strong, interesting, unique woman, because my mom allows me to be me. She always has. I tear up to know that I could have lost the last years with her and had missed a chance to say to her "thank you for being you-my forever Goddess."

NOTE: Return to blog post of March 30, 2010. It deserves a second look through.

Shortest Post Yet...

I swallowed my dog's medicine this morning. I don't know what else I can add other than the cat is looking mighty yummy to me.