How can someone actually be “thankful for everything”? In light of all that we complain about in our countries and in the world today can we really be “thankful for everything”?
Well simply listen and act upon the wisdom shared in this interview with a 108 year old Holocaust survivor Alice Herz Sommer. She is interviewed by Anthony Robbins.
Thanks to a good friend of mine Joyce Busch from Washington State for sending me this highly inspirational and moving video. And I feel it was somewhat poignant to receive it on this Good Friday, 2012. What will our resurrection be? How will we choose to respond to so called “life challenges”? What will we choose?
To really capture the wisdom that this amazing lady shares, sit back relax and listen. Be fully present to what she’s saying. Also remember to share it with as many people as possible as we could all do with learning from this lady.
Isn’t it amazing when we stop and listen to the callings of our heart how we are guided to follow what’s truly important for us in our lives. Not only what is truly important but what connects us with the greatest joy and passion within us. And when we connect with this joy and passion we send out an invisible loving energy to the universe which can touch people in the most deep and meaningful ways.
You see the universe of which we are a part has an infinite orchestrating intelligence and is always offering us guidance to follow our heart. This intelligence works in mysterious ways. Ways in which we may not understand with our rational mind but can feel in our hearts. One question we could ask is why so many of us don’t notice, listen and/or act on this universal heart felt guidance?
One thing that stops us is “fear”. Fear of what? Well actually it’s like Nelson Mandela/Marianne Williamson said in their famous quote “It’s our light not our darkness that most frightens us.” So we end up creating very busy lives so full of noise that we don’t even notice the universal guidance that’s been offered us. In fact you may even find that you want to read this post as quick as possible to get on with whatever is next on your agenda. I encourage you to come into stillness and ask what message you are being offered right now? The universe is always sending us messages. We just need to listen.
Sometimes it’s not until life offers us some “wakeup call” that we are shaken into awareness. Even then sometimes we resist it but these wake up calls which can be painful are in the bigger picture the universal “blessings in disguise“. The following story is how such a wake up call brought one person back to their true passion and I mean this guys has deep passion!
A number of weeks ago I was walking in our village of Greystones, Co Wicklow, Ireland. I saw a poster for a forthcoming performance by a Pat Coldrick, Classical and Flamenco Guitar in a cafe called Hotspot. I wondered who he was? As I play a lot of guitar myself I’d never heard of this guy. However this was the first sign from the unvierse to me. Even with that I thought “maybe” I’ll go.
Each time I walked past Hotspot I noticed the poster and it resonated with me, but I still wasent definet I’d go. Then the Monday before the performance I heard a guitarist performing on national radio and you’ve guessed it, it was Pat Coldrick again. Another very strong sign from the universe. However believe it or not I still didn’t commit to going but was definetly more interested especially when I heard him play his version of Classical Gas (a tune which I’ve being trying to perfect since I was 19 – I’m now 47!).
Of course I had to go – if I hadn’t listened and acted upon this universal guidance you wouldn’t be reading this remember. Anyway. I got to the performance about 8.30pm and he was already performing. It was a lovely intimate setting in the Hotspot cafe, it was like listening to someone perform in your sitting room – excellent!
Well believe it or not Pat just finished one tune when I got in and the next tune he performed was, yes, Classical Gas! What a performance! Fantastic!
The whole evening was incredible. One fantastic performance from start to finish for I believe over three hours. I and, I’m sure many others, were brought to a place of timelessness, a place of total inspiration and a place of deep inner joy. As I watched Pat perform I was brought back to days in my teens being mesmerised by a guitar teacher I had, Eddie Keogh, as he performed classical pieces. It was a truly magical evening thanks to Pat Coldrick.
In between his performances Pat told stories about his life, the following one resonated deeply with me.
Hard as it is to believe, Pat had stopped following his passion of playing guitar for 25 years! His life had got busy and his passionate dreams were left back in his youth. He set up a business which boomed when the economy was flying here in Ireland. Then like many others business just stopped over night and he was left with nothing (or at least very little).
One day he thought about a lady he had known many years before. He had not been in contact with this lady for many years and felt like reconnecting. Even though he hadn’t played guitar for 25 years he did remember that she knew how important it was to him. So he set about finding her. Eventually he did.
He found her on a website for people who were deceased – she had passed away – “Ar deis de, go raibh a anam” (an old Irish saying mearing- May her Soul be on the right side of God.
Even though I’m sure it was a shock for Pat when he heard the news of this lady’s passing he menitoned how it also awakened him to get back to doing what he really loves – playing guitar. He started to play again and I can assure you his playing is a great gift to the world!
One day while thinking about his friend who had passed away he sat down and wrote a piece of music which he felt was the Spirit of this lady coming through him. The piece flowed into creation. And what a beautiful piece it is. It is simply called “Lament”. And we’re so lucky that Pat also created a video to go with the piece which you can enjoy below.
As you watch and listen think about your own dreams, your own passions, your own joys. Do they need re-awakening? Do they need more nourishment? Do you need to follow your heart more and act upon the guidance you’re receiving from the universe. Remember it does take courage, so be brave and take a step in that direction. Like Pat you have talents, you have gifts, you have passions which will touch people and help people in the most amazing ways! Dare to Dream!
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