1:20 a.m.

A message in my inbox from a woman needing some help with a new puppy. The puppy was lonely during the day, and getting aggressive as a result. Both owners work. The person who wrote said she had read The Spiritual Life of Animals and Plants and was doing what I suggested in the book. I said I would also send angels and other Divine Beings to keep the puppy company, and she should ask for them as well. Had a fairly long inner chat with the puppy.

 

Monday, October 20

After my aide left today I started to pray Ave Marias for Our Lady’s Seven Sorrows as I cleaned up the kitchen. Recently I have been putting my attention on different words and phrases of the prayer as I inwardly say the words. Today I was concentrating on Hail Mary, the first two words of this valuable communication with Our Lady. As I said those words I became very happy, because with those words we are saying "Hello, Mary" - and I soon became aware of Her Loving Presence. As I said the prayer given to the children at Fatima, by the angel: "Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in need of Thy Mercy", I felt Our Lord’s Presence, and was suddenly thrown into a deep meditation filled with Light; I stood rooted to the floor, in the middle of the kitchen. The roofers were pounding nails, trying to attach a new gutter with leaf guards, and initially the thought flew through my head that I hoped they would not come to the door with a question for me, not until I could again move. As it was, at some point during my spontaneous meditation they rounded up their ladders and left.
 

After this experience, the entire kitchen was filled with loving Beings. I could not see them distinctly, who they were - but They were there. My cat Sergei looked at them from his spot the kitchen table. Even little Oleg - who has a very short attention span - stared in Their direction for quite some time.

 

Tuesday, October 21
 

My illustrator, Diana Souza, arrived tonight. We met and talked over dinner, got caught up on each other’s lives. Tomorrow: work. We made plans to meet in the afternoon, to discuss how the book is organized - especially the interviews section. Since she is designing all the graphics - many of the decisions will be hers to make. A good rule of thumb: never stand between and artist and their vision.
 

Wednesday, October 22
 

Did some errands with my aide; came back home and went to wash the dishes - and found a yellow jacket drinking water in the sink. He or she has been in the bay window over the sink for about a week; I thought he or she was a wasp. Had I been stung, I would have gone into anaphylactic shock; if I were alone, I easily might have died. I have been reaching in among the plants, picking off dead leaves, watering the plants in that window this entire time. And sending him/her healing and trying to figure out a way to get my insect friend back outside, to safety. Walking around in the sink - it was clearly a yellow jacket. And a tired, starved-looking one. I finally put a glass over him - the sink was a bit curved, my small companion would get air - and not long after Diana walked in, to work on the formatting of Visits With Angels. I asked her if she wanted to save two lives. She slipped a sheet of light cardboard under the glass and took him/her outside. I sent the yellow jacket healing.
 

To be honest: I miss him/her. We had co-existed so nicely all week. Now that I think about it, that little yellow jacket got an eyeful the day I fell into that brief ecstasy and the kitchen was filled with Divine Beings; interesting information to bring back to the hive ...
 

Then Diana and I worked on the book; the footnotes are missing and so are all the italics. So are a few stories. We are going through each page looking for footnotes and italics and inserting them into her computer.

We also talked about the overall organization of the book and decided to leave it as it is.

 

Thursday, October 23
 

Diana and I went to Friendlies around 10 p.m. tonight, to begin the Interviews for Visits With Angels. Stayed until midnight, until they closed. Music from the early seventies in the background, the Beach Boys: Help me Rhonda and other oldies. By the time we left the entire room was filled with beautiful Light. Diana had lost the clip to her small microphone - so tonight it was clipped onto a big spoon, facing me. We spoke about many topics ...
 

Saturday, October 25
 

Last night I went with Sarah to the tech rehearsal of Snow White. Chris has returned to England, but Sarah will be here another few months. Her sister, Lavinia, had choreographed the ballet some years ago; she had brought her props and backdrops with her, from Pennsylvania. She sat next to us, a steady stream of corrections: the lights, the dancers, the costumes, the sets. Her son, Peter, now dances with the Miami Ballet. I remember when Lavinia taught ballet classes with Peter strapped to her back ...

 

Later, Diana and I continued the interviews and now are more than half way through the book. When we are done I will ask my friend John to transcribe them and I will post them here.
 

Sunday, October

11:30 p.m.
 

M. and I went to Windgarth this afternoon, for some hours; raked leaves, brought some impatiens of various colours back into town. They are now in hanging baskets in the upstairs room, under the skylights. The lake was uneasy today; white caps, windy. One seagull atop the martin house. We walked to the Point and sat in the sun for some minutes, talking. Clipped ivy that had grown on the steps to the back gardens and put our things away - the entire house is rented out next weekend. I always become a bit sad when I put the pens and ink and letters resting on the small writing desk back into the wooden cabinet, back on the shelves.

 

Monday, October 27
 

Diana and I have been working on Visits With Angels and on the interviews steadily. Tonight we first checked the footnotes for italics, and then placed the footnotes in the text. We also recorded a few more questions for the interviews. As I finished my last sentence, the battery on her recording machine went dead and the disc ran out of room. Even the machine was tired. A light rain when we were done, close to midnight; the forecast had said snow. Wednesday night, after meditation and class, we will continue our work on the book.
 

Sunday, November 2
 

Diana left for Dallas this afternoon. We finished all the work on Visits With Angels we could cram in before she left.
 

Halloween night I dressed as a Musketeer with a flowing black cape, to surprise the children who came to the door asking for candy. Later, Diana came by wearing a tiara and ruffled silk shirt. Then we went to a restaurant, still in costume, to work on the book. We passed a few adults in costume: Santa Claus, a few fairies, a ghoul or two, all strolling downtown. Instead of working on the book we spoke of the Higher Love and keeping the heart open in spite of the ups and downs and blows of the world. Tonight I feel her presence with me, even though she is many physical miles away.
 

Yesterday during Mass there was so much inner Light that I felt caught in a floodlight. Today Carolyn and the children came; we spent almost the entire day together. Ian came as a knight and left as a pirate. Elisabeth is applying to colleges. Carolyn brought her new boyfriend, Michael, and we all went to the Plantations at Cornell, the sculpture garden. Then across, to the gazebo, the water lilies and the geese; where we took Elisabeth when she was a baby - where Carolyn went with Louise as a child. Louise was everywhere today.
 

Saturday, November 15
 

Sent the puppy healing and angels again today. And another little inner chat about behavior. A message from the owner: things are going well.

 

 

For those of you who are interested:  you can see my paintings on www.figaropaintings.com   I also added a sound track, so you can listen to tracks of my new CD, Images, while you are there.

 

And while you are there, feel free to sign the Guest Book!