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IN THIS ISSUE:

            Dedication To An Extraordinary Soul
            Expressions Of Love And A Warm Welcome      
            Stories Of Hope And Love
                        Notes Of Love
                        The Gift Of Listening
                        Never Far And Always Near- An Angel’s Presence
                        Just In Time, Thanks To An Angel
            Some More Of My Favorite Quotes
            If You Want To Know More About Susan…
            Final Sentiments –Thank You For The Gift Of Your Presence In My Life

DEDICATION to an Extraordinary Soul…Beverly Stoughton

One of the angels in my life physically died last week. My editor and dear, dear friend, poet Bev Stoughton, brought more gifts into my life and the lives of thousands all over the world who have read Touched by the Extraordinary. She helped me make the characters and the events come alive. Her love of life, her passion for writing and her smiling heart can be felt throughout my work. She had finished the first major editing of my next book, and I was looking forward to completing it with her.

She has already lovingly connected and communicated with her precious family (to whom my prayers now go). Knowing and loving Bev as I do, I know she will be with me whenever I need her. I am so grateful for the beautiful soul she is and for her choosing to share some of her journey with me – and you! Love you, Bev, very, very much.

EXPRESSIONS OF LOVE AND A WARM WELCOME:

I love December, the holidays and the meaning of peace and Love which accompany the season. Yet, I am also aware that, with the approaching New Year, so many of us have experienced more than our share of pain, suffering and loss in 2008. In addition to losing savings on which future hopes and dreams had been pinned, there has been the loss of loved ones for countless others.

For most of us, the end of our year offers us a time of closure, with the hope that the year to come will be filled with peace and the fulfillment of unfinished goals. Unfortunately, it so often seems that our loved ones also choose the year’s end to bring closure to their lives.

Left alone, sometimes suddenly and sometimes gradually, without our loved ones, we wonder if we have the strength or the desire to go on with our lives. We also wonder: Will we be able to make it? The pain of moving on robs us of our strength; our heart feels as though we have been repeatedly stabbed and we feel we are unable to take another step.

The stories I am about to share with you will, I hope, reinforce for you, that no matter how lonely and desolate you may feel, you are not alone. Indeed, you have much support always available to you, support which comes more abundantly when you allow yourself to be open to the possibility of possibilities – and when you remember that love really and truly is eternal.

You are so loved – by your loved ones who have physically left you, by your angels and by your Source, whoever you choose that to be. The key: open your heart to the possibility that love not only does not die, but also has the power to create miracles. Better yet, remember that You are Love and with Love everything is possible.

May you enjoy days filled with blessings of love every day of your life.

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STORIES OF HOPE AND LOVE:

“It is through the mind in the heart that contact with eternity is made.” White Eagle

My dear friend, John Harricharan, is one of the world’s leading spiritual teachers and author of numerous books, including When You Can Walk on Water, Take A Boat and The Power Pause. John was also one of Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’s closest friends and advisors. Elisabeth had helped him through the loss of his wife, Mardai, who died of cancer. Elisabeth was also a mentor of mine who allowed me to interview her in her Arizona home at a time when she was not well.

During a recent interview with John, he told me that when Mardai died on July 11, some twenty years ago, John wondered how he was going to parent their two children, Malika and Jonathan, without his beloved Mardai. He shared several precious stories with me which reinforced that Mardai continued to be present for their family, even after her death. Perhaps, as you read John’s stories, you may be reminded of times when your loved ones – or angels -or God – have found a way to let you know they were present.

According to John, it was August 14^th, Mardai’s birthday, and John, Malika and Jonathon were gathered together having dinner. They were celebrating and talking about Mardai, their mother, when suddenly, John heard the sound of notes being played on their piano.

The piano had been one of Mardai’s favorite pastimes. She was an extraordinary pianist, having won numerous awards during her lifetime. But, John, Jonathan and Malika did not play the piano and, for that matter, no one had played the piano since Mardai’s death.  Perhaps it was the cat, John thought. But, when he turned around, he discovered the cat seated next to him!

Just as John thought: “How strange! I must have imagined it!” Malika blurted out: “Dad, did you hear that?” Then, young Jonathan, in a cool but clear manner, stated: “Oh, it is just mommy telling us that she’s enjoying her birthday with us!”

Jonathan went on to say: “Mommy talks to me when I come home every day  and when I am getting off the bus.” He spoke of the assistance he received daily from his mom. Just imagine how wonderful this family felt, knowing that their wife and mom, was right there as they talked so lovingly about her and their life together!

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THE GIFT OF LISTENING

Spiritual things can only be proven in a spiritual way; no-one can give you proof of reincarnation or of spiritual truth. (This) can only come to you through your own intuition, from your own experience. White Eagle

With this story, John also explained to me that in the years following Mardai’s death, times were especially difficult, as he worked to feed his family and pay off the medical bills that had accumulated during Mardai’s illness. John had purchased an old car for Malika, then a high school senior. Unfortunately, when she took the car for a check-up, she was told that she would need $800.00 to fix the car.  This, according to John, might as well have been $8000.00 because he just did not have it.

However, John explained that one afternoon, while doing her homework, Malika felt the intuitive need to turn on the radio, something she normally would not have done. “Something made me turn it on,” she explained to her dad, who had traveled to Virginia for a board meeting. The message she happened to hear at the moment she phoned the station was: “If you dial this number and you are the 93^rd caller, you will win the prize.”

Feeling intuitively compelled to take action, she dialed the number, but it was busy and she hung up. Again, uncharacteristically, Malika listened to her intuitive guidance and dialed the number. However, this time she was told that she was the 93^rd caller and that she had just won a thousand dollars! In telling John, the story on the phone, she said: “Mommy told me to call and call again.”

Fortunately, because Malika had listened to her intuitive knowing, she not only had the money for the repairs, but had $200.00 left for herself. And, she also had the intuitive awareness that her mom continued to guide and care for her. She knew she was not alone. Had she not listened to her intuition, she would not have known this! So, she received several gifts of great comfort because she trusted her intuition.

John had other stories to share with me, stories which I will share at a later time. But, one important point John made is that we must be aware of events which are expressions of loving communication – events he calls “signs.” They are all around us, sometimes taking the form of synchronicities. And, we can ask for them.  But, once we have asked, we need to be open to receiving what comes our way. Being open is also a function of learning to trust our intuition or Higher Wisdom.

What can you take from this story? I, for one, am so much more accepting when I experience  (and need to listen to)  a sense of being nudged or urged to do something, a nudge that I know is coming from a source other than myself. This, I find is so comforting, probably because the consequences are always so satisfying.

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NEVER FAR AND ALWAYS NEAR - AN ANGEL’S PRESENCE

As long as there’s life, there’s the possibility of Love. And where there is Love, there is the always Hope. No matter what the mirror says, no matter what your doctor says, no matter what the establishment says – there is Hope. Marianne Williamson

The following story was spontaneously shared with me when I had mentioned that Touched by the Extraordinary includes stories of angels and others who watch over and protect us. Annie* (not her real name), who holds a significant position in a prominent library, prefaced this story by telling me that as a result of these events that took place in her life, she absolutely knows we have angels caring for us.

According to Annie, the story took place during the second trip she and her husband had made to Russia, for the purpose of bringing home their new baby son. Things had not gone well; there had been a failed court hearing, due to changes in the law. They had stayed in St. Petersburg, hoping to appeal the ruling, but to no avail. With their original airline tickets being of no use, they could not get home, until at 11:00 pm on 4/20, they were able to secure one-way tickets  for a 6:45 am flight on 4/21.

In Annie’s own words: "We were emotionally exhausted and distraught; we felt like we were in a nightmare without escape and running on pure adrenalin by the time we made our way to the airport. It was 5:00 am in the St. Petersburg airport and, though we had our one-way tickets waiting for us at Air France check-in, a very mean security guard would not let us through to get them. She did not understand English very well and we could not speak enough Russian to make her understand that we could not show her tickets, as they were waiting for us at Air France.

She sent me on a wild goose chase to the Air France office two buildings away (it was dark as night and pouring rain). I was soaked and exhausted by the time I reached the Air France office – only to discover that it would not open until 7am and our flight was to leave at 6:45 am.

I no longer had any strength left. I sat outside the office and hysterically sobbed my guts out. It was our third wedding anniversary and we were supposed to be bonding with our new son; instead, I was stuck in a situation that seemed impossible to solve and my husband was back at the terminal with our luggage.

Out of nowhere came this very large Russian businessman who had also been given a hard time by the security guard who insisted he go to the Air France office. He noticed me crying and asked me what was wrong. In great gulping sobs I told him my story and he simply said, “Follow me,” which I did.

I ran to keep up with him as he went back to the airport, going directly to the security guard. After what seemed to be an eternity of the two of them shouting at each other with hand gestures (but was likely only a minute or two), he said to me, “Okay, go get your tickets. You are cleared.”

By the time I had gone to get my husband and had come back, I could not spot the man in the crowd. If it had not been for him, we would have been stuck in Russia with expiring visas and no ticket home. He did not know us, but he had spent time making sure we could get home again – and then had disappeared from view with us not having a chance to properly thank him.”

I am grateful to Annie for agreeing to share her amazing, memorable and extremely meaningful story. My hope is that there will be many who will be as moved as I was, and may also find comfort in the belief that we are being lovingly watched over.

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JUST IN TIME! THANKS TO AN ANGEL

Miracles do occur naturally in the presence of Love. In our natural state, we are miracles workers because Love is who we are.  Marianne Williamson

Not long after Annie had shared her story with me, my family and I were meeting in Arizona, at my brother’s home, to celebrate Thanksgiving. Our children were separately flying in from their homes on the East Coast. When our daughter arrived, she shared the following story with us, with a deep awareness of having been lovingly protected.  As you will see, I was instantly reminded of Annie’s story and felt, once again, reassured that we are being lovingly safeguarded. What follows are the words of our daughter, Rebecca.

"It was a chaotic day of travel as I headed out to Phoenix to be with my family for Thanksgiving. I was connecting through the Baltimore-Washington International Airport and it was brimming with busy travelers, running to catch their flights. I had only five minutes between the time my flight from Hartford landed and my flight to Phoenix was scheduled to depart.  As I walked off my plane from Hartford and into the buzz of the terminal, I was dismayed to see that I was at one end of the airport and that my connecting flight was at the other end and that it was already boarding passengers. I started my sprint across the airport, carrying my bags while moving as fast as my legs would take me

When I finally reached my gate, I was relieved to see a Southwest attendant continuing to board passengers and that I was not too late. However, my heart quickly sank as I reached for my boarding pass, which I had securely placed in the pocket of my jeans.

I tore through my pockets, my coat, my bags…but found no boarding pass. I looked around, panicked, and searched the area for an attendant who would stop and help me. I could only picture the plane pulling away as I tried to convince someone to reprint my boarding pass. It seemed that every single Southwest staff member was either occupied or out of sight.

It was while I was at a gate separate from mine, begging the attendant to help me print a copy of my boarding pass, that a gentleman, dressed in a business suit and long overcoat, came running up to my side. He was out of breath and clearly had just undertaken a run similar to my earlier sprint. “Are you Rebecca?” he asked. I answered yes, and he continued, “I found this on the floor in the other terminal. It had a boarding time that was only a few minutes away; so, I figured I’d better hurry up!” He reached out and in his hand was my boarding pass! Before I could barely say “thank you,” he was gone, turning around to run back down the long terminal  concourse.

I remember feeling slightly stunned and truly amazed that someone who had picked up the boarding pass of an unknown person, when they themselves were in a rush (or so it seemed), would run across the airport to deliver it to me so that I would not miss my plane. Needless to say, I was overcome with relief as I turned back around and walked up to the gate, handed the attendant my recovered ticket, and walked onto the plane."

When Rebecca shared this story with us, she acknowledged that this felt much deeper and so much more than just a coincidence. I often wonder if she was assisted, perhaps, thanks to the loving care of one of her grandparents who knew how special and important it was to her family that she make the plane to Phoenix. Angels come in all forms and sizes. But, they do come!

Remember, please, if you need help, ask for it. You always have the loving support from the Universe, be it in the form of your Source, your guides and/or your angels. You do not walk alone on the path of this journey.

You are Love and Love is what this experience we call “life” is all about. May you have moments in which you know and feel the love and embrace of your Source, the Universe and your angels.

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SOME MORE OF MY FAVORITE QUOTES...

“Compassion is the radicalism of our time.”    The Dalai Lama

“Love, like hope, heals. It is the very foundation of prayer. If we allow hope to mingle with love, the ‘problem of false hope’ will evaporate” Larry Dossey, MD

“Some people, no matter how old they get, never lose their beauty; they merely move it from their faces into their hearts.”   Martin Buxbaum

“True love is always a risk, in that sense. But the universe isn’t invested just in giving us what we want. It’s invested us in teaching us how to love.” Marianne Williamson

 “When your heart centre opens in love and kindness towards all creatures, it begins to grow and to expand, and can be seen by those with clear vision as a light radiating forth… By the power of this light miracles can be wrought, healings performed, and all the spiritual beauty of human life is revealed.”
White Eagle

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT SUSAN:

If you wish to know more about the books and CDs, I have written and produced, the seminars I teach, where I will be presenting and/or my book signings, or other interesting and valuable information, please visit: www.touchedbytheextraordinary.com. Also, if you are struggling with the issues of life, please visit my blog, www.lovetofeelgoodblog.com, where I share with you articles I have written to help you live a wonderful life – and articles to help you heal if you are in need of healing.

Also, if you are interested in reading other great stories or wish to check out my recommendations for books, websites, etc., be sure to check out the archived newsletters of Touched by the Extraordinary and the archived blog articles. These stories and articles were written to help lift your spirits and to inspire you.

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FINAL SENTIMENTS:  

You are a valuable, precious being and deserve nothing less than my very best efforts and gifts. I thank you for your support, your love, your belief in your own strengths and, most of all, for choosing to honor both your own soul and mine by visiting this site and taking the time to read these stories of hope and love.

While I may not know you personally, I know you were born A Being Of Love and, therefore, I know you are a beautiful soul whose loving energy touches others. Choose to share your love with others; choose to see others in the way you wish them to see you. Choose Love, by being compassionate, understanding and/or patient. By doing so, you will enhance the quality of this journey called life, filling you with peace and joy. May blessings always be yours.

With Much Love Always,

p.s. If you have found these stories helpful or inspirational and feel they may help someone else, please send this letter onto them.
 

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