“Blessed are the pure in heart”

There is a scene in the third season of The Chosen that caught my attention. While Jesus is blessing a long line of people who have come to him to be healed, His apostles are setting up camp and taking care of the mundane duties required to feed and take care of everything so that His day to day ministry work can happen.  

This is a scene that there isn’t a specific biblical reference for, but it is one in which I imagine that the show’s writers have thought to portray what could have been the interactions between the apostles and disciples as they learned to get to know each other and get along together in their journey with Jesus..

Jesus has gathered a very diverse group of individuals as his followers and students, as they call themselves. As they come together to eat and rest, the apostles share details of their experiences prior to meeting Jesus. The more they share the more their personalities and judgements about each begin to surface. 

The argument that breaks out is on the one hand petty, but it is also understandable when in context of the difficult life that the Jewish people had lived for so long. But it’s also in direct contrast to everything Jesus was trying to teach them. 

It is at this moment when tensions are at their highest that Jesus returns to the camp. He has spent the whole day healing the masses. He is exhausted from performing His Heavenly Father’s work. He turns to His students and says goodnight, and looking weary and depleted, makes his way to His tent. 

What struck me the most was how, when we are here quibbling and arguing about everything in life, Jesus is in the background making the biggest sacrifice for us. 

As I thought about that sacrifice, I realized I had never looked up the word ‘sacrifice’ before. The Hebrew word that is translated as sacrifice in the Old Testament is Korian which means drawing near or an approach to divinity. 

That’s exactly what Jesus was doing that day. He was becoming more loving and God-like in each moment He spent healing and serving the masses. 

That is what each of us does as we make sacrifices. As we give things up, we unburden ourselves from the worldly desires and issues, and we put others’ needs before our own.  We become compassionate, kind, loving, and filled with empathy. We draw nearer to God. 

As Bernhard Andersen, pastor and author of “Understanding the Old Testament” explains,  sacrifice should not be seen “as a means of appeasing divine wrath or of cajoling God to show favours.” It is about bringing us closer to Him. To show our willingness to put our broken relationships behind us and focus on healing and restoring our covenant relationships. It’s about perspective. 

That was the lesson I believe Jesus’ disciples learned. As they watched him, weary and spent from giving all of Himself that day, they were humbled into reflecting on what was truly important, and why they were there, and why they had chosen to follow Him. 

This week is a time that Christians, Jews and Muslims are each reflecting on sacrifices and their relationship to God. Christians look to Jesus Christ’s sacrifice in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the Cross at Easter. Jewish Passover is a time to remember the sacrifices the Israelites experienced as Moses led them out of Egypt. While Muslims are making daily sacrifices by fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. 

We have the opportunity to remember the similarities between what we each believe and how the goal of the sacrifices we make is to draw us closer to the divine 

I wish you and your family a Happy Easter, Passover and Ramadan. May each find peace and happiness in our hearts that we can share with the world around us. 

“Joy and peace come from a divine perspective”

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

The post Let us find the peace and happiness within so that we can share it with the world. first appeared on Laura Lane.

“Meditation is the language of the soul.”

I have been reading the book “Essentialism” by Gary McKeown and I found a quote that really caught my attention. He said “And the noisier things get the more we need to build quiet reflection spaces in which we can truly focus.” 

It reminded me of why I created my Soul Chocolate Retreats, for that very purpose of creating space and time dedicated to quiet reflection. 

I find that the world is getting busier and noisier. Not only in the traffic and hustle and bustle outside but with television, streaming services, games on our phones and devices and the internet and social media, we are constantly surrounded by the noise of someone or someone’s business trying to get our attention. 

When I watch a movie or show or follow a creator on Tiktok, the residual effect is that their story or ideas or news swirls around in my head for hours or sometimes days after I have watched it. It is taking up precious space in my head, living rent free and keeping me distracted from appreciating the stillness and beauty of the present moment. 

Sometimes I use the noise and distraction of media to take a break from the responsibilities I carry on a daily basis. But just like others might use a bottle or a pill, when I distract myself like that, the responsibility or worry doesn’t go away, it is still there waiting for me after the entertainment is over. 

I know the real solution to heavy responsibility, challenges or worries is to find moments of quiet where I can contemplate and seek divine guidance on how to make things better, easier or how I can better cope. 

The problem is, if my mind is too full, if it is buzzing and spiraling I can’t properly hear what spirit whispers. It makes it hard to listen to guidance.

As I read that quote by Gary McKeoen, I realized that God doesn’t want our minds to be completely full all the time. If our arms are full of stuff, we can’t hold His hand. If our minds are constantly full of noise, we can’t hold our attention on the Divine.

As I thought about this further, I imagined my arms filled with boxes. Boxes that represent everything going on in my head. Big boxes for big responsibilities and worries, and a collection of small boxes for small issues that I fret over and which swirl around in my brain as well. 

The key now becomes as I examine all these boxes:  Can I put them down long enough to hold God’s hand and sit and talk to him?

Hale Dwoskin teaches a technique I learned years ago called the Sedona Method and it comprises three questions, three simple questions. When we look at something we are holding onto, we can ask ourselves, “Could I put this down, even if it is just for a moment, could I put this down?”
“If I could put this down, would I put this down?” and “If so, when?” 

I usually take clients through the process with the example of holding a pen in my hand. Squeezing it tightly until it becomes uncomfortable just like the worries we have feel quite uncomfortable, then we ask ourselves the three questions then we drop the pen. We can do the same thing by letting go of our worries for just a few moments at first.  Then as we practice more we can succeed at putting them down for longer periods. It can be just that simple. 

Putting down the worry boxes long enough to rest our mental and spiritual muscles, feel the relief and receive some help. 

Many times we ask God to help us with our burdens but we never let go of them long enough to actually hand them over to Him. We play tug of war. ”Please take this from me but no I don’t want to actually give it to you.” We become so used to holding it we don’t know how to let go. 

If you are like me, how many times have you tried to pray but you got lost in your thoughts, totally distracted by your own worries or things to do, and have forgotten you were trying to have a conversation with God?

That’s where learning meditation techniques can help. How to let go of the boxes without picking them back up again immediately. How to experience moments of relief from our stress long enough to feel at peace and connected to the Divine. 

In what ways could you benefit from learning to meditate? What is swirling around in your head that you could take a break from? If you would like to learn some more techniques, I would be happy to share them with you. 

“If we so live that our minds are free from worry and our conscious clear and our feelings are right towards one another, the operation of the spirit of the Lord upon our spirit is as real as when we pick up the telephone but when they come, note this, we must be brave enough to take the suggested action.” 

Harold B. Lee

The post Quieting the Noise first appeared on Laura Lane.

“God is love. God will undo every block. God will right every wrong. God will bring everyone home.”  

Last Sunday we were discussing at church a talk given by Emily Freeman, General Young Women’s President from the Latter Day Saint October 2023 General Conference. She shared a story of going to Israel to walk what is called the Jesus Trail. The path many believe Jesus would have walked from Nazareth to Capernaum. It is a steep rugged hiking trail that covers 65 kms in Galilee.

Emily related in her story how a month before her trip to Israel, she broke her ankle but decided she would attempt the hike anyways. 

My first thoughts were quite judgmental. “What a dumb idea. If this was an organized hike with a guide and a whole group, then this would be an inconvenience to the guide and would inevitably slow down the whole group. To insist that she could hike this trail with crutches and a knee scooter was selfish and inconsiderate.“ 

It didn’t help when I learned that the guide ended up tying a rope around her waist to pull Emily’s scooter most of the way along that trail. My judgmental thoughts kept churning. 

But then I was reminded of my friend Nathan Ogdan. Nathan is quadriplegic yet he has not allowed his disabilities to stop him from participating in many activities. He has gone backwoods hunting, cycled 1200 miles through 3 states, rock climbed, skydived,  hiked up a volcano in Guatemala, gone white river rafting and ridden on a Seadoo. He is an expert on overcoming excuses and fears so he can fully participate in all life has to offer. 

But he never could have done any of these things alone. He was only able to do them because of the  love and support of his amazing family and friends.

My first thought about Emily was that she should have been excluded from the hike and  waited until she was completely healed. But in retrospect I realized I would never have thought the same thing about Nathan. I know that Nathan most likely will never be healed from his spinal injuries and I would never tell him he should wait or shouldn’t participate in hard things. 

I thought about the Jesus Trail hike and how life can be as rugged and taxing on us as that trail. We might struggle to walk the path, especially a Jesus or God directed path on our own. 

None of us can make it without a guide who is willing to hitch themselves to us and help us on the climb.

There are times that we might judge whether others can walk the path to returning to God. We might see them as too broken to make the attempt. 

Once we recognize that we can’t do it alone, we can be mindful that everyone else deserves the same kindness and respect and compassion, and  to recognize that they equally deserve the chance to walk the path as well no matter how long it may take them, how many falls they might have or how many people it takes to support them to do it. 

I would never judge Nathan on how many people it took to support him in his 1200 mile bike ride from Washington State to California or how many people had to take turns carrying him up the mountain. Equally we shouldn’t judge those who are struggling on the path to return to God. 

It’s up to us to say “Can I help carry you for the next mile?” 

Who do you know who could use a little help or encouragement to stay on life’s rugged path? Who are you willing to hitch yourself to so you can make the climb together?  Do you need a little help like Emily or Nathan or are you in a position right now that you can pull or carry someone for the next mile?

“As I view others the way God sees them, with all their frailties and weaknesses as well as their strengths, I can learn to treat them tenderly, view them from God’s perspective: lovingly, tenderly and patiently with love and respect.”

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

The post Walking Life’s Rugged Path first appeared on Laura Lane.

“Gratitude is to fill our thoughts with pleasing thoughts, to fill our heart with love for the beautiful things in our lives, to focus our eyes to see the beauty around us and the source of all that beauty.”  

It has been a full year since I decided to launch the Cup of Courage Newsletter!  Recently it was also my birthday so in my estimation it’s a great time to review the last year. And what a year it has been.

For many years I put off doing a newsletter because I figured it would just be too much work or take too much time or I didn’t have an email list to send it out to. So many excuses. But with the work I had been doing preparing my book “I Touch the Heavens” for publication, this last year was the perfect time to share my insights with my little corner of the world.

So in case you are new to my newsletter here is a summation of what we covered in the last year. 

There have been a few themes like Prayer: “Becoming a Peacemaker”, “The Healing Power of Words”, “Cultivating Divine Connection”, “How do you listen to what the Divine has to say to you?”, “Ever Watchful: My Celestial Team”

Gratitude: “Everyday Joy”, “A Grateful Heart”

Faith: “Growing our Bounty”, “Divine Harmony”, “Endorsing the Source of Miracles”

Love: “Shifting Perceptions of Reality”, “Becoming a Beacon of Light”, “Connection Through Kindness”, “Loving Acceptance”, “Changing our Trajectory”

From the Scriptures : “Lightening Our Burdens” “My Big Brother”, “Forgiveness Prepares Us to Receive”, 

If you have been reading with me for the last year, which one did you most enjoy or which one spoke to you the most? If you are new here feel free to catch up on past posts and let me know what you would like me to talk about in the upcoming months. 

“Love brings everyone home.”

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens‘

The post Cup of Courage One Year Anniversary first appeared on Laura Lane.

“True strength comes from love that produces gentleness, which in turn creates miracles.”

The last few weeks I have been spending my Friday afternoons at Pura VIda Equine Therapy Ranch. As the owner and therapist Lyn and I talk and spend time with the horses we’ve been reflecting on the spiritual strength it takes to face our most difficult moments in life.

Those discussions reminded me of the collection of quotes that I have gathered over the years to inspire and encourage me during challenging times. 

I hope that you will appreciate them as much as I do.  

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” Mahatma Gandhi

“Anyone can give up, it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that’s true strength.” Unknown

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” Nelson Mandela

“We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just a step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it is not as dreadful as it appeared, discovering we have the strength to stare it down.” Eleanor Roosevelt

“While it is true that most people respect strength, they don’t always associate it with gentleness. But it is always from strength that gentleness arises. It is always from strength that we learn not to condemn weakness or fear or anger. Strength encourages us to empathize, to be more adaptable and make allowances. If we really wish to bring someone into our hearts
and minds, a little gentleness is a powerful attraction.” Leo Buscaglia

“Courage isn’t having the strength to go on—it is going on when you don’t have strength.” Napoleon Bonaparte

“It is good to love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done.” Vincent van Gogh

“When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

“Hope makes the impossible possible. Strength is contagious and courage is doing what we never thought we could do, doing it despite the fear, despite the dread, despite the pain and heartache. Hope can be given to others. It gives us strength and courage and then hope grows.” Lorna Byrne

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” Eleanor Roosevelt

“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” Christopher Reeve

“Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength” Saint Francis de Sales

Let me know which ones resonate with you the most.

“Spiritual strength is acknowledging the unseen forces of the universe, the Divine and the angelic and having faith enough to ask for and receive that help.”

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens‘

The post Inspirational Quotes first appeared on Laura Lane.

“God puts rainbows in the clouds so that each  of us—in the dreariest and most dreaded  moments—can see a possibility of hope.”

This week and last, I have been sharing an excerpt from my book “Two Mothers One Prayer”. The five tips that I share in the book are the importance of Reaching Out, Connecting, Reflecting, Expressing and Loving through difficult times.  I hope you will find a little nugget of truth or an idea that can help you in your life as you read this excerpt from the second half of chapter 8 Reach Out and Connect.

“Connect

The second step occurred naturally in consequence to reaching out. Once I found Laurie we began creating a beautiful connection between us. We had similar beliefs and attitudes and our girls were the same age so we had similar concerns about their development. We also had other children close in age.

As you read in the previous chapters, it didn’t happen overnight but very quickly we were loving and supporting each other. Today we are nearly family, we feel so close. We celebrated and cried together, supported one another when we took turns being down and worried. It is the most blessed gift that has come about during this long ordeal. It required trusting and being vulnerable. It required admitting we needed help and that we couldn’t do it alone.

During the long hours of waiting during doctor’s appointments and hospital stays, I read and watched TED talks. One of my favorite authors and speakers is Brené Brown. She taught me a great deal about vulnerability and connection. In her book Daring Greatly she explains, “Connection is why we are here; we are hardwired to connect with others; it’s what gives purpose and meaning to our lives, and without it there is suffering.”

What I learned from her is that in order to have connection we must be willing to be vulnerable. 

The gift that comes from the courage of being vulnerable is that it begets “love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity.” She very poignantly points out that vulnerability is “the source of hope.”

It gave me a great sense of hope knowing we weren’t alone. Laurie and I finally had someone who understood our fears and was praying just as fervently for miracles. Celeste and Hayley now had someone who understood exactly what it felt like to be poked and prodded and had the same scars and knew what it felt like to be cooped up in a hospital room away from family and friends for days and weeks.

In Brené Brown’s words “Vulnerability begets vulnerability: Courage is contagious . . . [One] act of vulnerability is predictably perceived as courageous by [others] and inspires others to follow suit.” The circle of influence you have as you reach out and connect may have a ripple effect around you, encouraging family, friends, and other parents to courageously do the same and reap the gifts that occur: love, belonging, and connection. That is when you can recognize that there is much to be grateful for when we allow these gifts and blessings into our lives.

Still it’s not easy. In her book, The Gifts of Imperfection, Brown explains:

“One of the greatest barriers to connection is the cultural importance we place on ‘going it alone.’ Somehow we’ve come to equate success with not needing anyone. Many of us are willing to extend a helping hand, but we’re very reluctant to reach out for help when we need it ourselves. It’s as if we’ve divided the world into ‘those who offer help’ and ‘those who need help.’ The truth is that we are both.”

Please let me reiterate here: You can’t do this alone. Your child isn’t doing this alone and nor do you have to. There is no shame in asking for help; it is one the most courageous things you’ll ever do and will lead to greater connection with those around you.

Many times I found it difficult to ask for help for myself but I was willing to do so for my daughter. When I put together my dream list, I was finally willing to do for her what I, for many years, put off doing for myself. What I found most amazing was how many people were willing to help and wanted to connect and support me and my family. It was incredible. Today I feel so much more love and gratitude and connection than I ever did before and have some very terrific people in my life that I didn’t before. These were the blessings for me in learning to reach out and allowing meaningful connections to occur. It gave me much to reflect on in my life.”

Who can you reach out to that could lead to a meaningful connection in your life? Who can you vulnerably share what is going on in your life with, who will understand your struggles and heartaches? Are you willing to take the risk of courageously sharing in order to allow amazing people and relationships  into your life?

“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.”

Brené Brown

The post Asking for help is a courageous act first appeared on Laura Lane.

“Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.”

Today Facebook showed me a memory from 10 years ago. My editor had just sent me the edits from my first 2 chapters of my book “Two Mothers One Prayer” (link here). What an exciting time that was. The first of many steps that it took to bring the book to fruition just one year after my sweet daughter Celeste had passed. We were able to then complete it all one year later and had it published on February 24th 2015 – Celeste’s Day – the day we remember her passing. 

This week and next I thought I would share another excerpt from “Two Mothers One Prayer” (link here). The five tips that I share in the book are the importance of Reaching Out, Connecting, Reflecting, Expressing and Loving through difficult times.  I hope you will find a little nugget of truth or an idea that can help you in your life as you read this excerpt from chapter 8 Reach Out and Connect.

“Just four months before Celeste was diagnosed, I was in West Palm Beach, Florida, taking Bob Proctor’s five-day training course to become a Certified LifeSuccess Consultant. For the training we had to become proficient in teaching others how our mind works, understanding the conscious and subconscious mind.

I had been preparing my presentation for months. I listened to Bob’s materials over and over again until I really understood how my thoughts controlled my feelings, which controlled my actions. This all led to the results in my life. A great deal stems from whether we focus on negative or positive thoughts and emotions. Negative thoughts and emotions produce negative results and positive thoughts and emotions produce positive results.

I also learned that negative thoughts like worry, doubt, and fear, stem from some form of ignorance or lack of knowledge. If I was afraid it usually meant I lacked knowledge. If I was worrying about something, in order to turn it around I just needed to find out what knowledge I was missing. Once you have the bigger picture—the missing information, understanding, or knowledge—you then can stand in a position of hope and confidence and can function with renewed strength and courage.

I had no idea then how much I was about to put this newfound knowledge into practice.

Once Celeste was diagnosed, each time a wave of doubt or fear would come over me, I would ask myself, “What is it that I don’t know?” When I was scared by what was happening to Celeste, I would ask questions or read up on her diagnosis to better understand and that took away the fear.

I knew I was going to have to be at my strongest in order to best help her. That’s when I realized I wouldn’t be able to do this on my own. I was going to need help.

Looking back now three years later, I can see the steps we (our family and Hayley and Laurie’s family) took to get through the new and frightening diagnosis, the long and multiple treatments, the recovery process, the relapses and the need to refocus our thoughts when things turned bad. There were five keys things that Laurie and I did that helped to foster hope, and these things ultimately gave us the strength and courage to continue on every day. We share these with you so you too can feel that hope, feel that strength and feel that courage.

We realized we had to reach out, connect, reflect, express, and love.

Reach out

No matter how strong or independent you are, you can’t do this alone. You have to reach out.

Once I received the initial news that Celeste was going in for an MRI and would soon be going in for surgery, I made those first few calls to family and church members immediately. I knew there were several things we needed right then. A place in London for Matt and Grayson to stay overnight while I was with Celeste. A priesthood blessing for Celeste from the bishop. Later that night I sent out an initial post on Facebook letting people know what was going on and asking them to pray for Celeste.

When we began to process the magnitude of her diagnosis, I knew I was going to need even more help. I created a dream list, the best of the best in their different areas of expertise, and told them that I would be so grateful if I could receive their help. These were people who could help me be at my best so I could strong enough to help Celeste.

I called or emailed each one to ask their advice or ask for referrals to who was the best person to see in the Toronto area. I spoke to church leaders, to EFT practitioners, transformational leaders, and healers. I bought the books that were suggested to me and found more on my own. I was willing to ask anyone and everyone I could think of who could help me and, ultimately, Celeste.

Once Celeste started her treatments, I created a Facebook group to keep people updated. Laurie created a CarePages page for Hayley. Laurie reached out to her church community and their large extended family in New Jersey. This became a huge support to each of us, knowing we weren’t alone. This is how we found each other. I had found a website dedicated to educating people about pineoblastoma, created by a mom, Stacy, who had lost her little boy Wade in 2010 (www.pineoblastoma.com). On that website  she has a page dedicated to listing other children diagnosed with pineoblastoma.

As I scrolled through, I saw the listing for another little girl, Hayley, who was the same age as Celeste and was diagnosed the same month. I couldn’t believe it. Someone else was going through the same thing at the same time as us. I found her on CarePages and reached out to her and her family. It was such a blessing to find each other.

Reaching out can also be the source of peace, comfort, and happiness for ourselves and our children. The dream list I made included Bob Proctor, Jack Canfield, Hale Dwoskin, Carol Look, Michael Beckwith, President Thomas S. Monson, Nick Vujicic and Adam McLeod—Dream Healer. Bob Proctor spoke with me and gave me guidance. Jack Canfield emailed me books he recommended I read and referred me to excellent healers. Hale Dwoskin referred me to his top Sedona Method practitioners in Toronto. Carol Look spoke with me and referred me to the perfect EFT practitioner in my area, Vivian Cannataro, who became my lifeline over the next couple of years.

Friends connected me with people from Michael Beckwith’s church, Agape, and they included Celeste’s name in the prayer list and sent a very beautiful prayer for her. We were able to arrange for Celeste to meet President Monson and he let her know that he was praying for her every day. A year and a half later, his office called to let her know that he still prayed for her daily. Kara from Nick Vujicic’s office let me know that they would pray for Celeste, and Adam McLeod shared with me some great visualization techniques to use with Celeste. It is incredible how many people are willing to help if you just ask.

Once Celeste started her chemo, she needed some cheering up, so I contacted the CBC and Stuart McLean and his radio show the Vinyl Café—one of Celeste’s favorite shows! Stuart and his staff wrote back and sent Celeste some of his CDs and books. I  contacted one of her favorite Canadian bands, Chic Gamine. Band members Andrina Turenne and Alex Dirks arranged to call Celeste and sent her a signed copy of their newest CD and a poster for her room.

Celeste desperately wanted to see the new Pooh Bear movie when it came out in July 2011. We arranged to have the whole theater to ourselves (just our family) so she could watch it on the big screen. The incredible staff at the cinema welcomed Celeste and gave her loads of promotional gifts. It made it a terrific day for her, for our whole family.

To help me through the difficult months while Celeste was in the hospital, I reached out to the Therapeutic Touch Network of Ontario. They arranged for a lovely team of recognized practitioners to come to the hospital and provide me with Therapeutic Touch sessions every week over the months we were there. They also connected us with the hospital chaplain, who was a practitioner as well and could come to Celeste’s room more often to help ease Celeste’s discomfort between chemo treatments.

The biggest support Laurie received during Hayley’s long months in the hospital was the love and support of her extended family. Their wonderful family members and friends stepped up to the challenge to practically run the house back home, looking after Anthony, Taylor, and Matthew so Laurie could put her full focus on Hayley. Meals and cleaning were taken care of, rides and visiting schedules were arranged, and then donations and fundraising were organized. It was a huge “Team Hayley” effort. But it first started out by reaching out to family and being willing to allow others to help.

Yes, it can be hard sometimes to allow others to serve you. Please let them. It is a gift and you both end up receiving.

While Hayley was in hospital, Laurie made the call to Annika Sorenstam, one of the top female golf professionals in the world and asked if she would mind calling Hayley to cheer her up. Hayley loves golf and was thrilled to chat with Annika via Skype. They got along so famously that Annika offered to call Hayley every month to chat. Three years later, they still chat and have developed a wonderfully close relationship.

These are just some of the wonderful things that can happen when you reach out. You will have to choose who you reach out to. Not everyone you reach out to will be the perfect connection, but it becomes the first step in making a connection. That’s when miracles really start to happen. “

What support do you need in your life right now that could be answered by an amazing person if you are simply willing to share what is happening in your life at the moment?  My experience is that people are amazing and want to help if only we are willing to vulnerability share and ask. 

Who could you reach out to today?

Next week I will share the second half of that chapter where I talk about the importance of connecting – creating deep meaningful connections to better support you as well. 

“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.”

Brené Brown

The post The Many Blessings of Reaching Out first appeared on Laura Lane.

“As I see God’s goodness and greatness, I am filled with love and life and light, which is the fountain of living waters.”

Last week I mentioned I had another amazing  story of being guided to the right place at the right time on my trip to and from Utah.

Normally when I fly out to these events in Utah, my first choice is to fly from Buffalo through JFK to Vegas or through Salt Lake City to St. George. But this time I just had a feeling I shouldn’t fly through Buffalo. More than once I’ve been caught in late January Buffalo blizzards and just gotten out in time via the last Amtrak train. So my gut said fly out of Toronto this time. 

I tried to find a flight from Hamilton to save money on parking but no luck. Toronto it was. Westjet had a flight through Calgary that would get me into Las Vegas on Tuesday evening. That’s that flight I mentioned last week. 

For the return trip, normally I fly out on Sunday. The event runs Thursday to Saturday and I book my flight out Sunday morning. This time I just felt I needed to leave Saturday evening. I would have to leave as soon as the event ended and race down to Las Vegas to take a red-eye special home. 

When I booked the flight, the first leg from Las Vegas to Calgary would arrive just after midnight but the second flight wouldn’t leave until 7am. I’d have time to get a few hours of sleep at a hotel before flying out. 

This is where the universe really started to up its  game. 

I learned that my dear friend Pam was in Calgary recovering from cancer treatments. If I could change that second flight to later in the day, I could rent a car and visit her before flying home. 

Westjet’s schedule showed there are flights to Toronto every two hours all day! I could fly out at 11 or 1 or 3 or 5. Provided of course that there was a seat available. 

Another friend called from Calgary, she was available to do breakfast together before my visit to see Pam. 

My husband Matt suggested I stay an extra night but I kept feeling like I should still fly home that day and the 1pm flight would be my best bet. I would only have an hour for breakfast with Janet and an hour to visit Pam but it still felt like what I was supposed to do. 

And the airline was able to book my change in flight and my friend Janet’s house was on the way to see Pam and it all worked out perfectly. The car rental place stayed open late until my flight got in so I had a car to drive. I had a good night’s sleep. Breakfast with Janet and her sister was a lovely time to catch up and it was wonderful to see Pam and how well she was recovering from all her surgeries and treatments. 

I then made my way back to the airport. I returned the car and made my way to security. 

This was where my luck seemed to change. Calgary airport security staff were fussy about my liquids and made me throw out my small bottle of facial cleanser because my collection of bottles wouldn’t fit in their specified ziplock bag. It fit in my clear bag but not their clear bag. 

I took a deep breath and tossed out the least expensive bottle I had. Another deep breath and I walked through the metal detector and scanner. 

All good. Except as I went to collect all my belongings my laptop had been flagged. 

“Excuse me miss, is this your laptop?”
“Yes”

“Well it has a trace amount of a chemical on it and we have to rescan all our belongings, search them and do a pat down search of your person.”

Great! They rescanned my stuff. One woman came over to pat me down. Another began a complete search of my bags, emptying everything out of my purse, feeling through every piece of clothing and laundry in my suitcase while another woman came over to begin asking me questions. 

“Do you use chemicals on a regular basis?”
“What kind of chemicals? I clean my house but that’s about it”

“Mam, what do you do for a living?”
“I’m an author, speaker and a coach” Then I thought to add “I work with cancer moms, moms whose children have cancer.” Hopefully they will see that I’m a good person doing good things and recognize that I’m not a terrorist.

The woman searching my bags turns to me and asks, “You work with cancer moms? Moms whose kids have cancer?”
“Yes, I provide resources and I have a book and a podcast and we designed daily planners that we give to moms whose children are on treatment.”

She then starts to tell me that her 14 year old daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumor when she was 7 years old and she is going for her next MRI in a week. 

Now it all starts to make sense. The only reason I was being searched was because I needed to meet this mom.

 She shared her struggles and asked how she could connect with me. I gave her my website and contact information and I told her that she could pick up a free planner at Calgary Children’s Hospital. 

I had gone from rolling my eyes at the thought of being searched to recognizing everything the universe had to do to get me her security line while she was on duty and make it possible for us to connect. 

It is at moments like this that I know God is watching over everything and makes miracles happen in order to answer our prayers. 

I am so grateful that our paths were able to cross and I could offer support to this amazing mom working so hard while worrying and praying for her daughter. 

Have you ever felt like the universe has been guiding you  to the right place and the right time so you could bless the lives of others? I would love to hear your stories. 

“There are miracles everywhere and can be found in every circumstance if we look for them.”

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

The post Being Guided to the Right Place and Right Time first appeared on Laura Lane.

“There are miracles everywhere and can be found in every circumstance if we look for them.”

This last week I had two wonderful reminders that I am being watched over and guided to the right places at the right time. Both occurred in my travels to and from a retreat near Zion’s National Park in Southern Utah. 

On Tuesday night  I flew into Las Vegas with plans to stay at a hotel for the night before driving into St. George to meet up with my friend Jessica. I booked a hotel off the highway on the way towards St. George. The next day I would have a 2 hour drive  plus a one hour time difference. 

I picked up my rental car and made my way to my hotel. Once off the highway, I turned down a street that took me under the main road and into an industrial area. There were no longer any street lights, the road was badly paved and there wasn’t anyone around. 

I double checked my directions. Yes, this was the correct street. I did see a hotel up ahead but not the one I thought I had booked. I usually stay at the Hampton Inn or another 3 star hotel. This was a 2 star hotel and looked pretty sketchy. 

My directions and the paper I had printed out next to me said this was it. 

Now I’m feeling pretty perplexed. This is not like me to book myself into a 2 star hotel especially in a dark, sketchy neighborhood. 

I park my car and a homeless man draped in a blanket is wandering around near my car and between me and the front door. 

I just don’t feel good about it. I’m alone and it’s past nine pm. It’s really dark and there isn’t anyone else around outside. 

I sit there for a few minutes debating whether I should stay or go find somewhere else. Google maps says there is a Hampton Inn not far from here in a busier area off the highway. I can’t believe I have made a mistake like this. 

I drive to the nicely lit, welcoming Hampton Inn, take my suitcase out of the trunk  and ask the front desk if I have a room booked there. The kind lady checks and lets me know that no I’m not booked there and they don’t have any room available but perhaps the Marriott next door does.

As I walk through the parking lot to the Marriott to inquire about a room, I begin to offer up silent prayers that there will be a room for me. I am beginning to feel like Mary and Joseph. The lady at the Marriott kindly says they are all booked as well. 

At this point I know I have a room at that 2 star hotel, but you couldn’t pay me to go back there. The staff starts making calls to see if anyone else nearby has rooms. 

While she makes calls, I start thinking about my friend Jessica in St. George. Maybe I can just go stay with her instead. I won’t get there until 1am but it would be better than the alternative. 

When I call, she is just on the shuttle bus to the hotel there. Yes we’re good. I can stay with her tonight and she’ll have the front desk leave me a key to her room. 

I’m still dumbfounded as to how I could have gotten myself into this fix but I climb back into my car and begin my 2 hour journey from  Las Vegas to St. George. Thankfully my daughter was awake and kept me company talking on the phone for over an hour. 

At one am I pulled up to the hotel, picked up my key from the front desk and crawled into bed exhausted from 20 hours of travel.

The next morning as I relayed the whole story to Jessica, we opened the curtains to discover that the whole area had been blanketed in a thick split soup fog. We couldn’t even see the parking lot. 

I now know why the universe worked so hard to get me out of Vegas the night before. If I had stayed the night, I would have had to drive through the mountains in that horrible fog. It would have been a nerve wracking and possibly dangerous experience. It was either that or that hotel just wasn’t safe and I was better off staying the night with a friend. Either way I truly felt watched over. 

Have you ever felt like even though it all seems crazy at the time, that you have been guided to the right place and the right time and somehow you may have dodged an even crazier bullet?

I would love to hear your stories of bullets dodged and inspired actions that help keep you safe. 

Next week I will share with you my other amazing story on my trip home!

“Spiritual strength is acknowledging the unseen forces of the universe, the Divine and the angelic and having faith enough to ask for and receive that help.”

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

The post Divine Guidance first appeared on Laura Lane.

“Peace comes from having divine guidance and inspiration—connecting to the Divine.” 

Recently my wonderful friend Janet gave me a copy of the book “The Shack.” I know I am a little late to the party and I guess I have been living under a rock as I had never heard of this New York Times Bestselling book and critically acclaimed Movie. 

There are so many things within this story that I could touch on but the idea that struck me the most was how we each individually think about and imagine God to be.  For the main character Mackenzie and his wife and their family, their name for God was Papa, a father and grandfather type figure who they could talk to with ease. 

In my life I feel I have a very close relationship with my Heavenly Father and have come to see him as my protector, my mentor and teacher. He has always gently guided me to where I need to go, to who I need to meet and prompted me on the things I need to do in this life both for my own good and to help others. 

He has answered my prayers for help, protected me from harm and comforted me in my deepest sorrows. I trust him completely and will go wherever he sends me. 

That same friend Janet and I have had some wonderful conversations about how Heavenly Father answers our prayers. 

What I have learned is that He doesn’t do everything for us, just what we ask then He waits until we ask for the next thing, much like a teacher who gives us an assignment and waits until we ask for help or the next step. I finally see how prayer and the need for continual prayer works.

I have learned that it is in the pauses or time between prayers, is for us to do our work and learning and growth. Heavenly Father is the ultimate mentor. 

When I look at Heavenly Father this way, I can see how this completely changes or up levels my communication with Heavenly Father from needy, whiny child to competent student. 

Just like with my mentor Tom, my goal is to become one of my Heavenly Father’s best students, ready to learn everything He wants to teach me.  I know I can express my goals and desires to Him and completely expect He will guide me every step of the way, as long as I keep coming to him for advice. 

I just need to keep showing up with questions and be willing to listen to His answers. I can learn to be clear on where I am going and what I want to accomplish in my time here on earth. 

I know that God wants me to work with Him, partner with Him in the things I do in my life and as I show care and concern for those around me as well. He can and will show me the way to accomplish these desires.

My job is to remember to not leave the house without Him.

Just as a master teacher or tutor will approach a problem or question from multiple sources until a solution finally works for the student, He will keep sending me different ways to help me until I find one that works for me. Each one of us learns differently. Heavenly Father is the master teacher.

When the scriptures tell us that He will open the windows of Heaven and pour out blessings that there won’t be enough room to receive it, I believe that what Heavenly Father is promising, is that He willing to pour into us all the light and knowledge we need to succeed in life.

Answers to our prayers come not by handing us a fish but by teaching us how to fish and where to cast our nets and how big a boat we are going to need to haul it all in and sending friends to help us to harvest the bounty. 

What would happen if our prayers changed from ‘I need …’, ‘I want…’, or  ‘I wish you would…..’ to ‘Can I partner with you Heavenly Father to make this wonderful thing happen in my life or the life of my loved ones?’ and “What do I need to do next to improve things?’ and “What’s your best advice for me to get through this obstacle or difficulty?”

What are the sorts of things that you pray for right now that could benefit from a new approach and an understanding that the real answers you need will come by partnering with and allowing God to mentor you through life and it’s challenges?

“God wants me to work with Him, partner with Him. My job is to remember to not leave the house without Him.”

Laura Lane from ‘I Touch the Heavens’

The post Divine Partnership first appeared on Laura Lane.