Lesson Learned... Hopefully

I am a Reiki Master Teacher. I have been for over ten years now. Being a Reiki Master Teacher means that not only can I administer Reiki Therapy to clients, but I can also teach Reiki to students and certify them as Reiki practitioners and Reiki Masters. Sounds like I'm pretty knowledgeable and really have it all together, huh? Guess again. It's amazing to me that the more I know, I find that there's so much more to learn. That's the only thing I know for sure.

I have a client that is failing. She has had diabetes for years and it's starting to win. She has neuropathy, diminishing kidney function, congestive heart failure and is in constant pain. I was asked by one of her relatives to give her Reiki. I hesitated because she didn't ask. Ethically, the client has to ask. It has to be their choice because in reality, any healing that occurs is done by them. A Reiki practitioner simply channels energy to assist the client's body, mind and spirit in healing itself. Her relative then asked her if she would be open to Reiki. She said yes so I went over to work with her.

What was interesting to me was that it really wasn't about the Reiki. Don't get me wrong, the Reiki helped to temporarily ease the pain. But what this client seemed to need most was someone she could talk with openly and honestly about her circumstance and about death and dying. She wouldn't talk to her family about those things because she doesn't want to worry them. But she needs to talk about these things to someone. Reiki was an excellent way to make myself available to the client for that purpose.

The lesson in all this is that we should not have preconceived ideas or expectations. When called into service, go with an open mind and heart. Allow the process to unfold the way it's supposed to unfold without getting in the way.


Love, Paula

Stay Flexible

Let me tell you about a day I had recently. Here was my plan: My brother had to have some minor surgery. I was going to pick him up at 7 AM to have him at registration at the hospital by 7:20. His surgery was scheduled for 9:15 and was supposed to take about a half hour. After surgery he would be in post-op for an hour. Then he was to go to "Short Stay" until he ate something and they knew he was stable. We should have been out of the hospital by 1:00 at the latest. Dena asked if I could watch the kids for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Since my grandkids are my greatest pleasure I said, "No problem." I'd watch any or all of them any time for any reason or no reason at all. It was to be a full but great day. I would help my brother out and then my reward would be spending time with the grandkids. A perfect plan.

Here is what happened: I picked up my brother at 7 AM and had him to the hospital in plenty of time to register and to get to pre-op. In pre-op we found out that his surgery was pushed back because there was an emergency. He was not taken back until 11:00. I was informed his surgery started at 11:35. At noon the doctor came out to tell me he was done, everything went great and Bill would be in post-op for about an hour. Later a nurse came over to give me a room number. When Bill got there, he was sore, but awake and alert. His vitals were all good so we ordered him something to eat and drink. That went well so he was allowed to get ready to leave. The nurse had to get his discharge papers ready. THE COMPUTER CRASHED!!! Any chance I had of spending time with the grandkids was quickly dwindling. I was so disappointed and I started getting edgy and anxious. I had to remember to surrender to the situation. I had to recall the Serenity Prayer and have the wisdom to know that this was a situation that I had no control over. It was no one's fault. It was just an unexpected set of circumstances.

After we left the hospital, I had to take Bill to the pharmacy to get prescription pain medication. I got him back to his apartment after 4:00. I got home around 4:30. Dena no longer needed me to watch the kids. She worked around it.

It was an exhausting day, but I believe there is a lesson in everything and everything happens for a reason. So when I got home, I reflected on the happenings of the day. I feel my lesson in this is to be more flexible. It's okay to make plans, but you also have to be able to go with the flow. I share this with you in case you ever have a similar situation. Remember to be flexible. It will save you a lot of stress.

Love, Paula

Feelings

Joe and Helen were here visiting which is why I didn't post a blog last week. I just enjoyed their visit and spending time with them and the rest of the family. While Joe was home, we had the opportunity to have several one-on-one discussions. I think that is my favorite part of our visits. I love just talking with him and sharing ideas.

Because of a fairly recent death of a family member, one of our conversations turned to grieving. People always seem to want to comfort, which is fine; but it seems to make people uncomfortable when a grieving person cries. Joe remarked that it should be all right to just cry. We should be able to feel our feelings so that we can work through them. He's right. We should be able to feel our loss, our grief, our emptiness, our anger, and whatever else comes up. Science and the medical community are now starting to agree. They're finding out that when people suppress their feelings, it can cause illness. There is a belief that suppressing feelings can be one cause of such illnesses as arthritis, heart disease and even cancer.

I think it would be better to just "be" with a person who is mourning. Let them talk, let them vent, let them cry, even cry with them. That's much more helpful than speaking perceived comforting words to try to stop them from crying. Right or wrong, when a loss is "fresh" most people want you to feel as badly as they do. They would like your world to stop, just like theirs has.

This doesn't just apply to grieving. We should feel our feelings whatever the circumstance so we can work our way through them and let them go. This will help us to lead fuller, richer lives.

Love, Paula