Shine a Light

By candycoatedreality™

Everyone has unique gifts and/or qualities to share with the world. What are yours? Do you even know? …Yet? Sometimes we seek out our gifts, yet other times they are so innately natural that we don’t even realize we are gifted. Sometime last year I met an 80-year old woman, named Mary Lou, and as we were talking about life she told me, “You’re quite spiritual. Your role in life is to share that spirituality with others. You’re inspirational and will motivate others.” Hmmmm. Really? At the time I didn’t understand (or believe for that matter), but was grateful for her wisdom.

Today, what Mary Lou said is starting to make more sense and I’m beginning to see her wisdom manifest in my life. It dawned on me recently that a vast portion of my dearest, closest friends are Agnostic. If you’re not familiar, Merriam-Webster defines Agnostic as: a person who holds the view that any ultimate reality (as God) is unknown and probably unknowable; broadly: one who is not committed to believing in either the existence or the nonexistence of God or a god.

The fact that many of my friends are agnostic doesn’t concern me in the slightest. I whole-heartedly love, admire, and respect my friends. My friends are family. I was raised to accept everyone no matter their race, creed, nationality, etc. We are all glorious creatures, so their beliefs or lack-there-in do not bother me or impact me in any way.

What I value most about these friendships is that each friend accepts me for who I am too. We will be at dinner and I will start talking about how angels have changed my life. Or we will be at a happy hour, drinking wine, and I will go on about how God has blessed me. Each time, they listen supportively without judgment. They don’t ask for proof. They don’t ridicule me for believing in something or someone I cannot see. They also love, admire and respect me. For this and many more reasons, I’m grateful. Truly grateful **smile**

This weekend I attended a two-day conference and during one of the seminars the speaker warned us, “This is an experiential session. You will be participating in experiences with your partner, so don’t think you can just sit back, listen, and do nothing! If this scares you, then you had better leave now because everyone WILL participate.” And then she giggled. YAH RAH, I love this kinda stuff 🙂 I’m sure some people in the large crowd were mortified… especially if they came alone because this meant their partner would be a complete stranger. Oh. Nooooo!! Perhaps these folks heard an evil laugh instead of a jovial giggle. Ha!

As a corporate trainer, I live by the premise Tell, Show, Do. Tell people what you want them to learn, so they can “hear it” (auditory learner), show them what they should learn, so they can “see it” (visual learner), and then have them do what you want them to learn, so they can “feel it” (kinesthetic learner). Most people have a dominant learning style, so by delivering a message in the Tell, Show, Do fashion you don’t leave anyone out. And when you apply something in three different ways this also helps the new topic “sink in” too!

After the session I thought… Isn’t this what life is all about anyway? A string of choices all strung together in a row which are a sum total of all of our experiences? Most of life is Tell, Show Do.  We certainly cannot live life from the sidelines watching everything, right? Well, not a fulfilled life anyway – in my opinion. Even with that said…no matter what type of learner we naturally fall into, doesn’t everyone want to SEE?? Most importantly see it to believe it?

For those of you who read “Mayhem” you know my dear friend Boo recently borrowed my car, Lady Bugg, and a deer committed vehicular suicide. Sadly, Lady Bugg is still in the body shop. I refer back to “Mayhem” because Boo shared her experience in a recent blog post:

Coming home to Cincinnati, I was about 20 minutes away, when a deer smashed into my passenger side window and blasted glass throughout the entire car. I gave up. I pulled over and sobbed. I was done. I am done. I cannot even begin to admit I had broken another car. I cannot express to you the anger and pain I felt in the middle of a highway… alone… again.

Luckily, Nae-Nae’s car was fully covered and I was surrounded by absolutely amazing people who literally laughed the moment they heard the news. They knew I was okay, but what they don’t know is, it hurts; Two accidents in two months. Financially, I am screwed and all I have ever wanted in life was for it to give me a break. What I didn’t know is…it did. I was alive…again.

Alone on the highway, waiting for help, I looked up. A small pewter angel pin was placed in the visor of the driver’s side. On Friday, Nae-Nae instructed me that she had an angel watching over me, but I didn’t know she had physically asked them to do so while I was gone. When I was a little girl, I used to think these pins were cliché or objects that parents pretended to protect their children when they left for college. I’ll admit, I laughed in my head when I knew a woman in her 30’s believed in them. At the age of 28, I was no longer laughing, but believing.

I gently rubbed this dime-sized gem and said, “Thank you.”  I cried. I had been saved. Someone, anyone, or everyone had placed a bubble around me to protect me from much worse danger.

With glass shards everywhere, including my coat hood, in my TOMS, and in the back window, I reached for my right ear, and it bled ever so slightly. I felt safe. Of all that glass and I had a silly scratch. At 65mph, a car window blew up in my face, and I hadn’t bled for one whole minute. There I was questioning why these things were happening to me. Fighting to find a reason for everything, including why I was still alive. Did I have nine lives? Is there a God? Do I have the “family curse” my father talks about? All I had was questions and no answers. Then I was told, “He tests those He loves the most.”

(To read more please visit, http://letthisbreathe.com/2012/11/04/on-being-alive-and-never-alone/)

Boo is a proclaimed Agnostic. She told me she believed in a higher power, but just wasn’t sure… without seeing… what or who that higher power was for sure. By living in my truth and being unafraid to be my complete self… I continually shine a light on those around me. Boo had to SEE it to believe it. It warmed my heart to read her blog entry and learn she now believes in angels. And over dinner last weekend she mentioned God. This makes me think she may now have an idea of who her higher power is too **smile**

Every time I sit down to write, I meditate and then pray to God asking Him to allow me to be His vessel… allow me to deliver a word, phrase or message from Him that would save someone, enlighten, inspire or give hope. With the accident, God held me at my word and decided to use my car instead of my pen to work His magic.

Live YOUR truth. Shine YOUR light. You never know who you may inspire simply by being yourself – your truly unique and wonderfully-made self. By embracing who you are… no apologies… no exceptions… you may help someone along the way. Let YOUR light shine… RADIATE… Shine on… ILLUMINATE… Shine bright!!

 

© Renae Rossman and Candy Coated Reality™

63 thoughts on “Shine a Light”

  2. You challenge me today Spiritual Sister…to live OUT LOUD as I’m called to and trust that the sweet pleroma of God will bring those around me who belong to Him…in. I am NOT the Assistant Holy Spirit! 🙂

  7. I want to thank you for a lot of things.
    1. Your blog has very beautiful theme. It is very colourful and not a mess. My eyes were attracted to the blog and it made me happy just to see it.
    2. Although I’ve only read this post but I’ve read the topics of other posts. I am glad for landing on this blog.
    3. This post was beautifully written. I usually do not read long posts but this post didn’t let me distract from its body. In the whole time, I was only reading this post and didn’t wanted to close the window till the end.
    Thank you again for all the points mentioned above.

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  9. You’ve done it again. I cried. 😉 That first pretty picture looks appropriately like the chards of glass in Lady Bugg. It really was pretty despite the situation.

    This is such a beautiful post. Something that, again, brings such ease to my heart about religion. You know that all my life I have struggled being Agnostic (I didn’t know I was till this post heehhe) and it’s such a breath of fresh air to, yes, SEE it. I’m alright with that too! Maybe God is a little expensive. 😉 But I have faith there is a grand reason for it. Ha! Please keep up this inspirational work, Nae! And I cannot wait for our next “weekly” wine and dinner. They always set the tone for my week and really keep me up and going when sometimes I feel so lost.

    If you’re reading this, everyone should have a Renae in their life. Everyone.

    ❤

    • AWE… Your last line, “If you’re reading this, everyone should have a Renae in their life. Everyone.” really touched my heart… THANK YOU!! You’re too kind. I’m happy to share my light with you 🙂 I love you, Boo

  10. This is amazing and SO deep. I think everyone’s there, living life for a reason or he’s equipped with a certain quality. You just have to get it out or discover it somehow and then start acting on it. Either ways, life’s amazing and you have to learn to find all the positives out there. Life each day as it is 🙂 Great article

  12. Reblogged this on The Go Between: Psychics, Mediums and Integrity by Melissa Leath and commented:
    This sweet blogger-chick is a client of mine — well, so to speak. Anyway, the two-day conference she refers to is one that my husband and I exhibited in. And I gave another “experiential” workshop (not the one she relates here), but it was The Development Circle. It was a two hour session for those who had never been in an on-going class for psychic/medium development — totally a spiritual thing!

    It was great and there were about 23 people in attendence — most of them had never been in a development class, and did not even think they were psychic in any way.. But they were interested. And we got really great results from them all.

    Always be open, even if you think you are not — just trust, and you will be surprised what will come…

    • You’re a gem, Melissa!! Thanks again 🙂 You’re truly a kind-loving-generous spirit.

      I do hope people check out your blog as well – good stuff out there for sure!! xo!! One of these days I will need to attend your development class. I’m gifted with Claircognizance and ever since I started to accept it I realize I’ve experienced a few episodes of Clairsentience, Clairaudience, Clairvoyance and Clairfragrance. It was weird at first, but now really cool. I need to learn more. For sure!!

    • Thanks, Linds!! Well, I guess I could try to show you!! Ha!! My meditation is simple… over my morning tea of coffee… sitting in stillness… and allowing my thoughts to quiet… while sipping my hot drink 🙂 It works for me!!

  18. Beautiful! Thank you for shining your light and reminding us to radiate brightly, too. And P.S. I believe in angels, too; when I trip and catch myself, or almost (but not quite) get into really big trouble, I say thank you out loud to the winged team working overtime. 🙂

  19. I somehow stubbled here, and couldn’t help but smile at this post! It was enlightening as much as it was of God… beautiful and you’re a magnificent vessel to send the vibrations of energy that are of that which you speak! Amazing post my friend!

  20. I thank you for “liking” the post of mine! I wanted to read some of yours, and I like the whole of this message. We all have “gifts” from God to use, in His name, to benefit others. May God guide and bless your messages…

      • Reading your positive message was, and will be, my pleasure! Merry Christmas and may God bless you and those in your life with blessings as well…

        I have to share this…one of my favorite sayings is:

        “Preach a sermon everyday, and where necessary, use words.”

        Actions and words; people are watching.

        -Take care!

      • As I’ve said, sometimes we are the only “bible” people are looking at. But if we conduct ourselves as Christ would have us to, we should be a “good read!”

        Have a great holiday yourself, and thanks for visiting my site. I’ll keep yours in mind as well…

  22. Who ever one thinks them selves to be,whoever they invent in there mind as a belief, will ultimately collapse on its self, thoughts and beliefs can change in an instant, and there goes the suffering struggle unseen.
    The stillness in side the heart without having to believe or think is beyond understanding beyond ones control. One has to give ones self up to it, to recognise the inner strength it brings ,That is Faith from Dynamic experience and can be felt tangibly. Speak from the heart and act from the heart and every one else will feel it too.
    Russell

  23. My goodness, I’m so glad you “liked” my post today, because I would never have found you. What a beautiful “very positive” blog. You have no idea how timely it is that I have found you, or rather how you have found me. I will be coming back; so much to obsorb here. Love what you’re doing.

  24. “Live YOUR truth. Shine YOUR light. You never know who you may inspire simply by being yourself – your truly unique and wonderfully-made self. By embracing who you are… no apologies… no exceptions… you may help someone along the way. Let YOUR light shine… RADIATE… Shine on… ILLUMINATE… Shine bright!!” – quoted from candycoatedreality.

    You are absolutely right. God uses us in ways we have no idea, especially when He actually is using us in a situation, and we may not recognize at times, not because it’s not important, but because the message isn’t for us, but for the one He’s mean’t for us to touch. We’re not left out though, for every person we touch, they go on to do great things, find solutions, make decisions in tough situations and He enjoys seeing us sow in His field of greatness. A lot of people, as you say, have their own ways of knowing and learning about the existence/non-existence of God and you are right, we cannot judge them or hate them for not believing, because not everyone have been brought through a testimony…. yet…. that allows them to understand and know about the Power of God. We don’t know about the things we haven’t experienced.

    Your messages are powerful, filled with soul and the spirit of God. You are a moving inspiration and I am grateful for every opportunity I have to read your blog and blogs similar to yours. You said it best, based on the things we do and say, we never know who we are touching and inspiring, so as long as God can help it in us, may He continue to use us as living inspirations of His joy, His hope, His love and all the goodness He’s about to each other.

    Blessings to you doll!

  25. Candy, it there any way that, in my elderly state, I can follow your blog by email? If it doesn’t come in my email, it never happened 😉

    • Thank you for your interest in following Candy Coated Reality!! Yes, there sure is a way for you to follow by email. On my blog website, http://www.candycoatedreality.com, on the home page look in the right-hand column… when you scroll down you will seen an option to Follow Blog. Click on the orange follow button. You will then receive emails to the email you signed up with via WordPress!!

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  28. there isn’t a bushel big enough to contain your light!!! SHINE ON SISTER!!!! You are lighting the path for many to see and follow!!! 🙂

  30. Pretty good job, tell show do should eventually lead to “it” right !! Renae, I don’t know if I wish to know whether there exists higher power or not but personally, I would definitely love to be understood. Take care and all the best 🙂

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