For those of you interested in the Gift of Healing, interested in Divine Healing, I would recommend the book Daughter of Destiny by Jamie Buckingham. The book is the excellent biography of the preacher/healer Kathryn Kuhlman, a book that helped me to become a Divine healer. Kuhlman worked miracles through the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit.
 

She also, at one point in her life, read the Bible each night. And unlike myself - she was fully familiar with the Bible and its precious verses.  However, when I was younger, in my early thirties, I also read the Bible each night - the New Testament, and mainly Christ’s words. I had a version on the Bible that highlighted Christ’s statements in red, and after reading the New Testament through a few times I began to more concentrate only on His sacred words. Each night I sat at the wooden kitchen table that faced the garden, put on the small stained glass lamp - and read a few sentences. These sentences I then pondered, reflected on.
 

In those first weeks or months, at times I was more frightened than inspired: Our Lord seemed to ask the impossible of us. But over time, as I sat there night after night reading, something greater began to happen in me, something very surprising and wonderful and inexplicable. As I retraced Our Lord’s life through the words of His disciples: I began to find myself standing with Him as he lived His sacred Incarnation on Earth. I was there when he performed the miracle of the loaves and fishes; I was there, standing next to Him as He said, "Let the dead bury the dead"; I could feel the heat of the sun, taste the dust of the road.
 

In my steady reading and rereadings of these familiar stories, perhaps my imagination took over - perhaps it was more my clairvoyance - perhaps it was the natural result of this spiritual practice and the purity of my intentions and aspirations. But in any case, there it was: He took me with Him. And as I stood next to Him for those minutes each night, I in some mystical way shared in His Divinity; I was given His vision of true Life. It was as though He imparted Himself to me at those times; I stood in Him and He stood in me.
 

Ever since that time I have told people to read the Bible each night - not just for the ethical Teachings, but for the Mystical Teachings and mystical experience that can result. As long as we stand near Christ, stand next to Him with our aspiration and Longing and continue our spiritual practices - we cannot fail, we cannot fall. He Himself will prevent it.
 

Wednesday, July 30
 

Very humid today, it looks like rain. We really must solve the basement problem - water comes in under the door and floods us. Something must have slipped or rotted out. Called the contracter. Peg is coming over to paint; Lauren stopped by last night to drop off blueberries she bought at the Farmer’s Market, but M. had already locked the door for the night. Called Lauren.
 

Jf has been sick with a high temperature. M. had a slight head cold. The aide came today and did chores: watered the plants, emptied the dishwasher, fed the cats, swept. I can almost easily go up and down the stairs now, but only for a limited number of times per day - otherwise I can’t get back up them.
 

If it rains my after dinner walk will be cancelled, and I do look forward to it so.
 

I can also spend more time at the computer, more times a day. And I seem to be more living here than in other realms, finally.
 

Thursday, July 31
 

Peg came yesterday and painted, watercolors, using wet on wet technique. We were a bit cramped; finally I put my dish with my paints in the harpsichord ... Today I worked on a dark forest with a path and swathes of brilliant light .... I need a few more paintings for the gallery show on Tuesday, so have been working more than usual. The contractor came and made a makeshift plywood tent over the basement stairwell, to prevent flooding until he can dig trenches in our basement floor; I called and thanked him.
 

Another e-mail from A. today. He wrote :

 

" So our true state is the soul, esp. when we realize that we our the soul. The soul is also our direct connection to God?
 

Many religious mystics and people who come back from Near Death Experiences believe that we are spiritual beings incarnated in a physical world to learn and grow. I see similarities in this and when you say we are beings of light. That would be our true nature, right?
 

Thanks for answering my questions Laurie. I'll talk to you soon. Thanks. "
 

I answered:
 

"Yes, the soul is our True Nature, our True Being. And the soul is our direct connection to God. Well said. Yes, we incarnate to learn and grow, to gather virtue - and to help others, help the world. That "help" does not need to be a grand gesture or attainment; a kind smile will do. Our Lady told the visionaries in Medjugorje that the age of the great saints is over; the world is now in the hands of us all, and we should lead kind, simple lives and make God the center of our lives. The biggest help we could possibly give the world is to discover our own Light, and start to identify with the soul instead of the personality - and, of course, to attain full Enlightenment or sainthood. "
 

Friday, August 1
 

Jf stopped by this morning and will visit again later tonight, while M. is out. Chris comes soon, for a few hours. A new friend, Mary Jo, just stopped by for a few minutes: she is weeding the back garden, she loves to weed. She stopped by the other day because she wanted some of the maroon monarda on the corner; she reminds me of Cindy, so much so that I still just gaze at her. She came in today holding a big handful of various plucked plants, asking which I consider weeds. Some of the wildflowers I let stay, as long as they do not take over the garden; she advocated for the Chinese Lanterns. A very special woman, and I would not be at all surprised if Cindy, from whatever realm she is in, sent her to help in the garden .... Life is a greater Mystery, on all levels, than we could ever imagine. Although we are given clues here and there. Actually, I would more say that all the Clues are there, if only we found them, or even looked for them, or understood them ...