A Voice From The Streets...

I received an email today from one of my homeless friends. I have known him about 6 years... he is basically a vagabond travelling from place to place. He is about 27 years old and schizophrenic. I REALLY loved what he said today because he hasn't judged his situation... he sees God working in his life and is OK with his situation, no matter how difficult it is...
    "I have realized I belong on the streets sharing my experiences with others and showing them that if someone they see as "worthless" can bring them company and closer to the Lord they might see where people like me come from and might look towards the Lord as well if they don't already. But I have realized I am destined to be a bum and live a life of unhappy wealth financially and an unimaginable wealth spiritually"

Perhaps we should be embarrassed at how we, who "have more" than he does, are NOT satisfied with our situation that God has given us. We could have "unimaginable wealth spiritually" but we are too caught up with what we don't have.

This story is a PERFECT Example why I LOVE the homeless. They live day by day accepting the goodness that comes their way from God. We should learn from them!

A "Needle In A Haystack" - Part 2...

OK... What is going on here???!!!

Yesterday afternoon (Friday), I went down to visit my friend "Alex" at the crisis home and he is doing well. THANK YOU to everyone who has sent your well wishes and kind thoughts his way!!! Earlier in the week I visited him, and I shared the story about finding another one of my homeless friends that I was worried about in a neighborhood I have never been in. (See "A Needle in a Haystack".)

With all this stuff going on in my life, I have been thinking about how fortunate I am to have my life and all the goodness and blessings I have. I have been thinking a lot about all these homeless friends of mine (hundreds over the years) and how much I truly love them. So many non-homeless people "miss out" because they are afraid of the homeless and bypass potentially WONDERFUL friends with HUGE hearts!!! All they need is to be treated with DIGNITY, RESPECT and LOVE and you will have a friend for life!

One friend in particular, Ryan, was 17 or 18 when I first met him. He was the smartest of all the kids out there on the street and he always made sure they all ate before he did. He was sort of a "Guardian Angel" for all his other street friends. Ryan is schizophrenic and what is called a "Tweeker"... a crystal meth addict. He loved music, so I gave him a guitar which he would play night and day to support himself. Over the two years I knew him, he declined rapidly and his paranoia became pretty bad mostly due to his drug addiction. One day he dissappeared and it has been 4 years since I have seen him. I have asked the street gang off and on if any of them have heard from him, and I would get news once in awhile about what was going on with him. I guess he went to the police in the town I knew him in (Oceanside) and he narked about all of the various drug dealers in the city. He was instrumental in cleaning up a lot of the drug traffic that was going on. BUT, when you are a nark, your life is in danger, so he had to leave. He went to Oregon to his father's place for a little bit, but eventually moved to San Diego which is about 45 minutes from Oceanside.

Ryan will always be one of my favorite street friends because of the good he has done for so many people. It is hard to see because he has such a good heart and is so thoughtful when it comes to OTHER people, but he just can't seem to love HIMSELF enough to get clean. BUMMER! I have thought so much about him all this week after finding my other friend Joey.

So, after my visit with Alex yesterday, I was driving home and decided to go back to the same restaurant I had stopped in earlier in the week where I bumped into Joey. As I'm driving up trying to find a parking place, I look ahead on the corner and THERE WAS RYAN!!! It had been 4 years since I had seen him, but I recognized him IMMEDIATELY!!! I honked my horn and waved to him to come over and I said, "Hey Ryan, it's Tall Paul from Oceanside... Remember me?" He said, "Holy Sh#T!!! PAUL... How's it going... Oh My God... I can't believe it!!!" Well... That made two of us!!! Here I was in this neighborhood that I had only been in once before and here I find ANOTHER NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK!!!

I found a parking spot and we talked for about an hour and a half. He looked really good, but he is still homeless. Still on drugs. Now he is selling drugs. I told him how much I missed him and how I always admired how he took care of everyone out there on the streets and how I always thought that he had so much potential to do good. I told him that I loved him and that my other friends Jessie and Cindy also love and believe in him. I KNOW I was touching him in a long forgotten way... the streets are hard and he needed to hear that there are people still out there that believe in him! I gave him my number and invited him to go with me sometime to my camper that I keep out in the desert. I think he needs to get away and get some fresh air and really think things over about life. He said he is so tired of all the drugs and the way of life and he wants to stop someday soon. He may never stop, but at least I KNOW that HE KNOWS now that I LOVE HIM and BELIEVE IN HIM. I feel good because I WASN'T AFRAID to tell him how I was feeling. He may never be ready to get help, but at least he knows without a doubt that he is LOVED, and that's all that matters. He has someone now to turn to if and when he is ready to get help.

How often do you tell your family and friends just how much you LOVE and BELIEVE in them???!!! We forget how important this is... we all need to hear this so don't be afraid to tell them how you think TODAY!!!

I don't know what it is about that restaurant in that little neighborhood that God and the Angels keep sending me to, but I'm going to keep going back whenever I'm in the neighborhood!!! MIRACLES have happened this week there... The MIRACLE of Joey and the Miracle of Ryan. Both "Tweeker" Drug Addicts. Both homeless. Both have no direction in life. BOTH AMAZING, LOVING, SELFLESS PEOPLE Who I am PROUD to call my FRIENDS!!!

Thank you God for the Gift that these friends are to me!!!
Just a Thought to Consider...

One of my dreams is to establish a home for homeless youths like Joey and Ryan. I would love to provide a safe, loving place for them to go to get off of drugs, to learn a trade like computers or something marketable, and to then help them to get back into society where I know they can make a difference. On my "Angel Sanctuary" page, I mention that the Angels want me to have several places reserved for the Angels. One of them is for these "Homeless Angels" that I know and love so much. If any of these TRUE stories have touched your heart in any way, please consider helping me attain this dream in whatever way you can. I need a place out in nature. I need funding. I need your LOVE and your PRAYERS! Thanks!

Call Your Friends... They Need You! - Part 2...

ANOTHER FREAKY CALL...

Remember I told you last week my friend Alex was in the emergency room, and the second they called his name to go into be checked, his BEST FRIEND called my cell phone in search of Alex. The timing couldn't have been more perfect! (Read the story here if you missed it.)

Well... tonight I was talking to Alex on the phone... he wasn't having such a good evening. TERRIBLE actually. So... I tried my best to calm him down but he was basically destined to have a sleepless night. I hung up the phone, and not 1 minute later, HIS BEST FRIEND CALLED ME AGAIN looking for Alex!!! WOW!!! I gave him Alex's new phone number and we did a 3-way phone call. Alex's mood was COMPLETELY CHANGED for the better and all was well!!!

Like a said before... if you have thoughts about a long lost friend, or even a friend who you see all the time... REACH OUT and call because you just don't know how important that call could be. We are placed here on this planet for one another and we need each other.

Let's do our part to keep the LOVE alive!!!

; )

A "Needle In A Haystack" - Part 1...

Have you ever tried to find a "Needle in a Haystack???!!!"

I have a very good friend, "Joey", who is 19 years old and homeless (most of the time). I care for him a great deal because he has such a great heart and he is truly a fascinating person to hang around. He wants to make a difference in this life, but he is sort of lost in the typical street-kid waste your time routine. He is a GENIUS and an "Indigo Child" in my opinion. (Do a search on the web if you don't know what an Indigo Child is). I usually hear from him once or twice a month, but I haven't heard from him in about 8 months or so. Needless to say, I have been VERY WORRIED about him! He moved out of the area, but not too terribly far away that we couldn't meet up once in awhile or at least get a phone call or email from him.

SO... Joey has been on my mind a great deal lately, most likely because of all the time I have been spending with my friend Alex who is trying to get into a drug rehab program and who is currently in the "Crisis Home." Joey is also a drug user/addict. I emailed him about a month ago and he didn't respond. Yesterday I emailed him again, and still no response. We've never had an argument, so he couldn't be mad at me, so what the heck??? Where did he dissappear to???!!! Joey is my "Needle in the Haystack."

Tonight I went to visit Alex at the crisis home and he is doing GREAT!!! I spent 1.5 hours with him without one argument or any stress... A TRUE RECORD!!! WOW. So, afterwards I went to dinner in San Diego and went to a bookstore to browse around. I parked about 2 blocks away from the bookstore, so I had a nice little walk to get some fresh air. As I'm walking out of the bookstore, guess who is walking by... JOEY!!! WOW again!!! He saw me and gave me a big hug... he says he lost my number and has been thinking about me. He hadn't checked his email in a long time (kinda hard to do when you're homeless because you have to go to the library usually). I gave him my number and we're going to meet up again real soon.

According to Yahoo... San Diego has a population of 1.2 million people (http://sg.travel.yahoo.com/guide/americas/usa/san_diego/). What are the chances that I would bump into Joey tonight???!!! I TOTALLY BELIEVE that the Angels brought us together. THERE ARE NO COINCIDENCES... These are all carefully orchestrated moves that the Angels have planned out. Their strategy is PERFECT! Our job is to cooperate with it. I NEVER, EVER eat in San Diego in the area I was driving through. I HAVE NEVER met Joey in that part of town... we have always met in my area which is 30 miles away. If I hadn't walked to the bookstore and left when I did, I would have never bumped into Joey.

Pinch Me... I can hardly believe how AWESOME the Angels are to me!!! I feel SO MUCH BETTER now that I know that Joey is OK!!! YIPPY!!!

; )

(Read PART 2 of this story)

Listen... Listen To The Silence...

I am asked all the time how we should pray or how do we hear the "Voice of God." There is a song that I learned in 1st grade (36 years ago!) that I believe tells it all.

When I was in training at the monastery, my Novice Master kept urging us (more like pushed us) to what the song teaches us... the "Silence." I have no idea who wrote the song... it was written sometime in the 60's, so if you happen to know who wrote it, I would love to know.

"Listen...

Listen to the Silence...

Listen...

Listen for the Words of the Lord...

Listen...

Listen for He Speaks in Quiet Times."


+++

It seems we are always bombarded with noise in our culture... even noises (vibrations) we can't hear. There are TV signals, radio waves, cell phone signals, microvaves and MANY more bombarding us all the time and I believe these mute or lesson our ability to hear the silence of our heart where the "TRUTH/GOD" lies. When I travel in an airplane, I receive messages from my Angels far more clearly than on the ground. Up in the sky, we are above all of that "noise pollution." 1.5 years ago, I stopped watching TV and the only radio I listen to now is a morning show on my way to work. My life is SIGNIFICANTLY more peaceful and serene without all that noise. I encourage you to take steps to reduce the noise in your life and to practice "Listening to the Silence!"

Let me know what changes you see in your life after practicing this for awhile.

Call Your Friends... They Need You! - Part 1...

Here is a BEAUTIFUL true story about TRUE LOVE and a BOND between friends...

As you know, I've been helping a young friend of mine who is a drug addict with emotional issues to get some help. We will call him "Alex." On Monday night, I had to take Alex to the emergency room because he was borderline suicidal. More on this in a bit...

Alex's closest and longest-time friend is Noah. Noah has been through thick and thin with Alex and knows him inside and out. They are connected emotionally and SPIRITUALLY on all levels and have known each other since kindergarden. I met Noah for the first time last week for only 2 minutes... My Angels told me to give Noah my cell phone number in case he ever needed anything. I wasn't sure why or when, but someday he would need my number.

Back to the emergency room... We are in the waiting room and they call my friend's name to be checked in... As we stand up... RING... RING... NOAH WAS CALLING MY CELL PHONE!!!

Alex's heart was calling out to the Universe for HELP and his closest friend on the planet (Noah) felt his friend's pain, and reached out the only way he knew how to help. At that moment, my cell phone was THE ONLY way anyone could have found Alex. Noah was "in tune" with his friend and utilized the resources at hand to find Alex. There couldn't have been a better time for Noah to call. THAT WAS DIVINE TIMING... WOW!!!

How Does this Apply To Us?


If you are going about your day, and out of the blue you think about a friend for no apparent reason... CALL HIM/HER! Our souls communicate and can feel each other's love, but sometimes our human dimension needs a caring voice to say hello! We were all put on this planet together to share our love with one another, and too often we forget to keep in touch with those people who we care about. Those small inspirations we get throughout the day might be more important than we realize! Noah calling Alex was EXACTLY what he needed to get through his crisis situation. It gave him the strength to be brave and courageous while he endured the next few hours in the emergency room.

How Can You Help YOUR Friends??? Give them a Call Today!!!


(Read Part 2 of this story!)

Healer, Heal Thyself...

For those of you who have called me recently, you know that I am SWAMPED because a friend of mine is dealing with drug addiction and emotional issues. I have been helping him get to doctor's appointments, "Anonymous" meetings, and most recently, to the psychiatric emergency hospital and a "crisis home." (That just is just the tip of the iceberg of what I have been doing for him).

In my "free time"... ha ha ha... I am trying to call my Angel clients for Angel Card Readings etc. MANY of you are in the healing profession or are being called to be in the healing profession, yet you (we) are trying to deal with our present stressful situations not exactly in the right way. We tend to give, give, give and find little time for ourselves. The Angels want me to remind you (us) that "If you don't take care of yourself, how can you possibly take care of the people that you love and depend upon you for your healing energy?"

This gentle reminder encourages us to slow down, breathe and tackle one problem at a time!!! YES, we are supposed to help these people who God brings into our lives, but we must take time to care for our own needs, OR, more importantly, let other people take care of us when we need it!

Back to my drug addict friend... he is a young (20 year old) healer... so filled with love for everyone else... yet he has completely neglected himself to the point that he can't help ANYONE any more, ESPECIALLY himself. He is now dependent upon me and his parents to help him make even the most basic decisions, and he is FIGHTING against the fact that he NEEDS our help. He doesn't want to "owe" anyone and hates to ask for anything even though he knows we are his only solution. IT IS OK TO ASK FOR, AND TO RECEIVE HELP FROM OTHERS!!! God put us here together to help each other out.

When you LOVE someone, there is NO OWING... no cost... ONLY LOVE. We help because we LOVE. No conditions are placed on it. PERIOD.

So... Take care of yourself, ask for help if you need it, so that you can be healthy for not only yourself but for everyone who depends on you!!!