Are You Open to the Possibilities?
I went to New Orleans for the day this week. It wasn’t meant to be a pleasure trip, but that’s exactly what it turned out to be. I took Erly, a lady who has lived with us for 18 years, over to the federal building to have her work authorization papers updated. Erly is from the Philippines. She’s in her late sixties, has never had children, nor has she ever been married. I hired her as a live-in at the request of my late hubby, Steve, right before my youngest was born. She hasn’t worked for me since my girls were in elementary school, but has continued to live with us for free in exchange for cooking and laundry. Through the years, she has become one of our family.
Erly and I set off early in the morning on our 4-hour jaunt to New Orleans with no idea of what we were about to face. Our hope was that we would get there and not have to stand in line for hours. To be quite honest, I was dreading this very fast trip. I’ve spent many hours in the past at the federal building in Los Angeles when getting a passport and it was not fun. Neither of us knew if this was what we were heading for or if it might possibly be better in New Orleans. Our original thought was to drive over, get in and out as quickly as we could, and then drive back home. But instead of staying in fear and dread, we settled into our seats and decided to make the best of it.
Like the rest of our family, Erly is in a transition phase of her life. She’s stayed with us all these years, because she wanted to be here to watch our girls grow up. Now with my youngest, Kolbi, in her senior year in high school, Erly has been re-evaluating what she wants. We discussed this as we cruised along. I then asked her why she never got married. She just shrugged her shoulders and said that none of her sisters had, but that she was glad she could live with us to see what a happy home and marriage is like. That was pretty much the end of the discussion and we continued on. We had no idea what was about to happen.
We got to New Orleans in record time…and might I say without speeding ….and literally spent FIVE MINUTES in the federal building once we arrived. We just missed the crowd. We were ecstatic as we left and people flooded through the door! I felt something cool was happening, but wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. My gut said, “Go to Bourbon Street and have some fun!” Erly, who is always ready for an adventure and had never been to New Orleans said, “Yes, let’s go!”
As we cruised around, checking out the sites, I continually heard in my head, “Get Erly a reading. She’s looking at changing her life. Maybe she’ll get some guidance.” Now, in my mind, this could be a tarot reading or psychic reading. I had an incredible experience in New Orleans almost 30 years ago with a reader there and thought it would be fun for Erly to get the full-blown experience. I believe we create our reality and that we can take or leave what a reader says to us, but it sure is fun to see what shows up!
I didn’t say anything to Erly about the thoughts swirling in my head. Our first mission was to get some lunch and I was still struggling a little as to whether to get on the road to head back home or to explore a little more, allowing a reader to show up. I was so intrigued by the pull in my heart that the adventurer in me finally won out.
We walked four or five blocks and turned the corner. And wouldn’t you know it…there was a tarot reader sitting at a little table in the middle of the blocked off street. She was the only one there, sitting quietly reading a magazine. Her name was Louise.
The day was flowing so easily that I knew we had to follow my guidance and get a reading for Erly. The first thing Louise said was, “You are beginning a new phase of your life.” And then went on to do a reading that lasted for over an hour talking about Erly’s soulmate showing up!
I could see the resistance in Erly’s body and, if I’m quite honest, I wasn’t sure what to think. Erly hasn’t dated in years and never expresses even an interest. Louise went on to explain that Erly would find her soulmate as she moved into her creative gifts and that she needed to take some classes…like a cooking class. Well, this caught our attention! Louise had no idea what Erly does in our home, or what her situation is. Nor did she know how much time Erly spends watching cooking shows. Now we believed a little bit more.
Louise said, “I’m not seeing the marriage card here, but this really feels as if you could have a marriage with this man.”
“Erly,” I asked, “what do you think about this information?”
“I don’t know,” she exclaimed, putting her hands up in the air. “I never thought that this could be a possibility.”
“Of course it can,” I said. Do you think that out of all the people on this planet that there is no one here for you?”
Louise pointed to one of Erly’s cards that showed a woman with her eyes closed. She said, “Your eyes have been closed, Erly. You just haven’t been open to seeing the possibilities.”
I believe in that moment Erly’s eyes opened up to the possibilities. Maybe her family programming of none of her sisters ever getting married didn’t have to be her story. Erly’s giggles revealed her heart. She said, “Well the door has been closed, but it hasn’t been locked!” And that’s when the final card showed up.
In the beginning of the reading Louise had Erly draw ten cards. She put nine out on the table and put the tenth to the side without ever looking at it with the intention that it would be the final card she read. Louise picked it up and, wouldn’t you know it….it was the marriage card!
Our trip to New Orleans was a magical adventure. We’ve laughed for days wondering who the mystery man will be. I can’t wait to see what unfolds for Erly!
When I look back on my life and remember messages that came to me, I see how when I opened up to the possibilities, they showed up. In fact, I had an intuitive tell me in my early twenties that I would write a book and travel and speak about it. I laughed in his face and asked, “What am I going to write about, pinching my nose with my toes? That is my only talent!” But you know what? That seed he planted always stayed with me and kept me intrigued. I had no idea what I would write about, but stayed open to the possibilities. Now, I’ve not only written one book, but two!
What message have you received sometime in your life that intrigued you but didn’t seem possible? This could have been a message in a dream, a thought that’s been eating at you for a lifetime, something a friend, a boss, or a teacher said, or a reading done by an intuitive. What have you said no to out of past programming? Did you lock the door or simply shut it like Erly did? I invite you to check in with yourself. Open up to the possibilities and see what is revealed.
