Infinity

They say the oldest galaxy ever seen is 13.5 billion years old and millions of light years away from Earth.  How do they know that?  According to Einstein, time and space do not really exist, but are only illusions.  Who are you going to believe: modern day scientists, or the smartest man to ever live on this planet, but someone who we have great difficulty understanding?  It will depend on what we want and believe the Universe to be since everything in the world exists based on the manifestation of our thoughts. 

The journey of enlightenment is a journey of the mind: from a focus on the body to a focus on spirit, from a limited sense of self to an unlimited sense of Self, from a sense of separateness to a sense of unity with all things, from blame to blessing, and from fear to love.  This journey of my mind and heart, not always easy but always miraculous, changes every aspect of my life. It transforms my nervous system, my energy, and my internal state of being. It leads to changes in my behavior and shifts in how others respond to me.  As enlightenment becomes my goal, my life is free to transform. I release my attachment to lower things, allowing my mind to be guided into higher realms. Fear dissolves, and my love flows forth. I am redeemed and I am changed.

• Marianne Williamson 

Mankind is probably only at maybe the midway point in our evolutionary journey. We have physically and intellectually evolved, but spiritually we are somewhere between an infant species and something just past barbarian. The Laws of the Universe are believed to have existed since the very beginning of time. They are thought to go back to the creation of the world and it is said that ancient cultures always intuitively knew about them. Understanding these laws shows us how to master life on all levels and gives us insights into what we can do to reach our goals. They can help you understand yourself and the universe better and live an authentic spiritually aligned life.

All of these laws are interconnected with one another with sometimes only a subtle difference in definition between them. People who live their lives with an awareness of the interconnected laws typically report feeling more confident, productive, and reflective than ever before. While there is advanced personal work you can do with respect to each law, even starting out with a general grasp of the different laws may make a noticeable difference to the way you feel. Some of them can be put into practice while others are there to teach you lessons and help improve yourself.

Twelve Spiritual Laws of the Universe

#1 - The Law of Divine Oneness 

The Law of Divine Oneness is the foundational law, according to which absolutely everything in our universe is interconnected. Every choice, word, desire, and belief you have will also have an impact on the world, and on the people in your life. Everything we do has a ripple effect and impacts the collective. We are all one, and awareness of this makes us more powerful as well as more empathetic.

#2: The Law of Energy or Vibration

Everything in the universe moves in a unique vibration frequency. Each thought and feeling has its own unique vibration pattern, and it will combine with those which possess identical vibration patterns. Good feelings such as love, or a positive attitude create a higher vibration, whereas a negative attitude produces a slower vibration. High energy particles are naturally attuned to other high energy particles, and the same is true for those that have low energy. If your goal is to live a more productive and full life, consider what you would need to do to heighten your energy frequency.

#3: The Law of Correspondence

The pattern of your thoughts, both conscious and subconscious, control your life by creating circumstances that you then use to make your own path. The premise behind this law is that everything that happens in your physical reality is the result of your thought patterns and they can either help or hinder you. A negative experience usually reflects disharmony in your inner world, but you can consciously break this negativity by applying opposite energy.

#4: The Law of Attraction

The law of attraction asserts that you receive what you attract with your thoughts, emotions, and actions. It basically reflects your self-worth and mindset into the world. Like with the law of Vibration, the Law of Attraction dictates that you need to have positive thoughts and energy to have them in your life, but it does not punish you for being pessimistic on occasion. Rather, the law dictates that if you desire something and truly believe you can obtain it, then you will.

#5: The Law of Inspired Action

The universal laws of life assert that to manifest thoughts and desires, you need to take some action. The Law of Inspired Action is the next and essential step after the Law of Attraction. With positive thoughts and emotions, the universe will create just the right circumstances, but you will still need to do the work to accomplish your goals.

#6: The Law of Perpetual Transmutation of Energy

Every individual has within themselves the ability to change their circumstances, regardless of the current situation they’re in. You have to apply positive thoughts and emotions for instance to avoid a negative person sucking out all of your positive energy. To put this law to the test, do small things to make you happy every day, like listening to your favorite song or going for a stroll in the park.

#7: The Law of Cause and Effect

Newton’s Third Law, also known as the law of karma, underlines the direct relation between action and result. For every action, there will be an equal and opposite reaction, physically, verbally, or mentally. The results are not always instantaneous and could take some time, but, essentially, what you put in will eventually come back to you. As an example, being compassionate and kind to other people means you’ll likely receive the same treatment, including when you stumble upon hurdles in your life.

#8: The Law of Compensation

This is closely related to the Law of Cause and Effect. It states that the Universe will compensate you for your efforts eventually in the form of blessings, based on how you contributed, through various forms such as gifts, money, friendship, and other things. The Law of Compensation ensures the quantity and quality of those returns, or karma. Whenever someone smiles for instance, your mood instantly changes. Be generous and donate what you have, and those things will come back to you in various forms.

#9: The Law of Relativity

Every thought, action, word, or emotion is neither good nor bad until it’s compared to others of its kind. No matter how difficult the situation might be, there will always be someone else in the worst position. This law teaches people to put things in perspective and forces them to stop and think before judging anyone else. It also tells us to be grateful for what we have rather than constantly comparing our situation to someone else’s.

#10: The Law of Polarity

This law says that everything in life has an opposite, like love and fear, warmth and cold, and good and evil. Understanding this is key to bringing more clarity to your life. People have to experience both sides of the same coin to fully appreciate them, such as knowing what happiness is if there wasn’t sadness in the world, or to experience success without having a sense of failure. A negative experience can help you propel in the opposite direction by imagining what the opposite would look like. It will give you a newfound sense of appreciation for the things you have and signal to the universe what you want and need to attract in your life.

#11: The Law of Perpetual Motion or Rhythm

The law of perpetual motion or rhythm refers to the fact that nothing in the physical universe lasts forever, such as the four seasons or the body’s aging process. Everything has patterns and rhythms, cycles and stages of development. It affirms that if you’re going through something difficult in your life, it will pass, one way or the other. This law teaches us to see the good in every cycle as well as acknowledge and fully experience every high and low, as they are all parts of the ever-changing cycle of life.

#12: The Law of Gender

The law of gender, also known as the law of balance has very little to do with biological sex, but instead deals with the two main types of energy in the universe. You can think of them as feminine and masculine, or yin and yang. Everything that exists has both masculine and feminine elements, including people. Masculine qualities are will power, logic, and intellect, whereas feminine qualities are love, patience, and gentleness. Without feminine, masculine would tend to act without restraint. And without masculinity, there will be a failure to do anything. Both feminine and masculine are dependent on each other and both have to coexist, preferably in balance.

Based on my own personal experiences in life, if you are working against the Laws of the Universe, you are going to get very frustrated. You need to work with these laws, not against them.  As you are part of the Universe you have responsibilities for it as well as civilization but your responsibilities for the Universe should always come first, then you should try to live within the laws imposed by society.  Any decision you make should be based on the love you have for the Universe and the love the Universe has for you.  The main theme throughout the 12 laws is always find a way to remain positive regardless of circumstances faced with.  This is important not just for your own well being, but also for everyone else. 

We Are the World

Mankind spent $20 billion to send an intelligent telescope into space and make it possible to learn more about the Universe. But let’s not forget the fact that on average there are 1700 children around the world who die from starvation every day.

Being receptive of the thought that time and space are illusions in the spiritual realm of thinking allows one to conclude more readily that we are one with the Universe, united in spirit with no beginning and end, and therefore no physical limitations. This is the first law of the Twelve Spiritual Laws of the Universe. United we stand, divided we fall. In order to avoid destroying our three-dimensional world, we need to work together as one even though the hearts of many are closed to this way of thinking. We need to come up with a new working order for how we coexist with each other and the environment.

People know we are destroying ourselves and our own planet, yet collectively there is reluctance and ignorance to do more about it. Lack of compassion for people and animals, and lack of reverence for the earth itself, are the hallmarks of an increasingly unsustainable way of being in the world. May I not be swayed by the insidiousness of selfish thought. Placing myself in service to the healing of the world, I gain greater perspective and a more powerful consciousness.  Now is the time to remember our true function, to return to our collaborative mission working with others in support of the larger reality of which we are all a part. 

We can learn so much from our children, for they were born knowing how we are supposed to live, not how we might have taught them. 

There comes a time when we heed a certain call

When the world must come together as one

There are people dying

It's time to lend a hand to life

The greatest gift of all

We can't go on pretending day-by-day

That someone, somewhere will soon make a change

We're all a part of God's great big family

And the truth you know, love is all we need

We are the world

We are the children

We are the ones who make a brighter day

So let’s start giving

There’s a choice we are making

We are saving our own lives

Its true we will make a better day

Just you and me

Send them heart, so they know that someone cares

And their lives will be stronger and free

As God has shown us by turning stone to bread

And so we must all lend a helping hand

When you are down and out, there seems no hope at all

But if you just believe, there is no way we can fall

Let us realize that a change can only come

When we stand together as one 

In Service to Others

Light is a kind of energy called electromagnetic radiation. There are many variations of wavelengths within visible light and we see these variations as colors. On one end of the spectrum is red with the longest wavelength, while blue or violet light has the shortest wavelength. White light is a combination of all colors together in the color spectrum. It has all the colors of the rainbow. White light can symbolize that we are one with the Universe. I am sure the original organizers of the white hat movement at the Calgary Airport never thought much about this interpretation of what the “white” represents, but they did want us to emanate positive energy throughout the complex. White light also stands for peace, neutrality, surrendering any will to fight or polarized viewpoint.

It is interesting to note that for those who have had a near death experience, they always claim seeing a “bright, white” light and someplace you will be drawn to when you leave your body and I am sure a very good place to be and to me it represents where our collective consciousness resides. I had a dream that I am sure others have had where you witness seeing an angel. In my case the angel was immersed in white light and she gave me a little jewellery box that was of course white. Inside the box was a broach in the shape of a heart, so sparkly and glittery with flashy diamonds resonating in full beauty and glory. I then looked up at the angel who I became madly in love with as she was stunningly beautiful with the most radiant beaming smile and I could really feel the love I had for her and she had for me.

I then proceeded to drop the broach and to look around close to my feet to find it again. I never did find it before waking up, and I became frustrated since this loving angel of light gave it to me! I have concluded that this dream meant that I was looking for love. Well through life I found it in others and this allows me on occasion to experience my oneness with them, which is the first law and also the foundation for the other laws. Whether you have experienced this yourself in life, just go with this thought and come with me on a journey for what I experience as a white hatter volunteering at the airport which is one of my ways of being of service to others. I also draw on some other personal experiences outside of the white hat movement. This journey will give you live examples of the universal laws at work (as referenced by a UL#). For those experiences referenced, you my think the example also relates to another universal law and this will more than likely be true as they are close to being the same.

I was not planning to go back post covid once the movement started up again, but something came over me to once more become an ambassador of the airport and city and therefore to be of service to others. People seem to want to travel regardless of cost, health concerns, and political instability. They got the travel bug pre covid and now they are trying to make up for lost time. They seem anxious to get in their vacation and family time before it is too late, when conditions get worse, whether that be related to world war, covid, climate change, or other. You can feel they are desperate to avoid the crowd and get through security to be on the ‘other side’ as quickly as they can and be one step closer to their destination. They want to leave their troubles behind, their frustrations and limitations they are experiencing in life by having a more positive experience (UL #6). The airport could use my help to keep the mob traversing the corridors in orderly fashion, not stumbling over one another. We do not have time to help travelers out much because there are so many of them.

In a world that seems to have gone completely mad on the surface based on what we hear in the news each day, we need to remain positive and keep our vibrations heightened! (UL # 2) We need to continue to evolve, move forward where we care for each other and the universe that we live in. What better way is there but to be nice to someone else so that they will hopefully be nice to others (UL # 7). As spiritual beings God wants us to live our lives as it was intended, which is to emanate His love and to leave our heart open and observe the endless beauty for what the world has to offer. That could simply be a special interaction with one of HIs own children.

If you are just yourself focused in the moment you will be standing there thinking nothing, just observing and waiting for your next interaction! You stand out with your costume on to show that you are a representative of the movement. You have a reputation for being someone the travelers can trust, willing to help in anyway you can, and you are their friend. I do not think of others as strangers, but rather as family (UL #1) because they already know who I am and they know my name as per tag displayed. I look around and see my buddy white hatters that I recognize from before. They like me have come back wanting to do that little something special to everyone we interact with.

I always try to wave to the little ones of a young family as they walk past to see if I can get a wave back. Sometimes they are too shy to respond, or sometimes they look at their parents to get permission first before responding as they see me as a stranger to be aware of. Most already know who I am (UL #1) and that I am not a threat. This one bright eyed young lady of six years at most not only waved to me, but came right up to me to talk. She noticed my name tag on my vest.

“You are Adrian! I know an Adrian in this movie I always watch that I really like!”

This Adrian is probably on some animated children’s movie who must have been her hero as she looked up to me in awe as if I was that person, the best that I could be. After some friendly chatter with her parents watching, but their wanting to get going, she told me her name after I asked for it and then I concluded our talk by saying:

“Well, I am very pleased to have met you.”

She came up to me on her own to hug my legs since she was just a little one, giving me her love before she left. For the rest of my shift, I could not seem to get that little smile off my face (UL # 7,8).

Sometimes people at the airport do not have a question, only a comment. A little old grandmother came up to state from the bottom of her heart how thankful she was for my being there to greet people. She no longer was feeling any tension or anxiety for she knew she could come to me at any time and have faith knowing I was there for her to help out in any way I could, to show empathy for any troubles she was experiencing. I was someone she could trust and be a friend, not a stranger, to take a keen interest in her well being (UL #10). Sometimes it is also me who says thankyou! She knows who I am and what I am there for, not that I ever did anything for her before this point in time that I recall, but she knew we were both part of the ‘same family’ (UL # 1).

Diversity

There is Infinity in Diversity

God’s children can be anyone that you see in body form and we come in all sorts of sizes and shapes, color or gender preference, and age. Let’s not forget the handicapped who are real wholesome individuals, true spiritual beings. Culture diversity is what our city is all about, but diversity at the airport goes well beyond culture to include anything you can possibly think of. Everyone is different and everyone is good providing they are of the right mindset with their own unique set of weaknesses and strengths. Even the elderly are still one of us and can be very beautiful inside despite their physical appearance becoming more rugged and scarred with age.

I look at a mob of travelers heading in my direction and there is one person a full head taller than the rest, a gorgeous blonde all dolled up with a shapely body in a tight glittery fancy dress showing off her cleavage, with a face all painted up to perfection and long glossy finger nails. She walked as if she was royalty, bounding along full of confidence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmmSAFWhyu0

First class and fancy-free

She's high society

She’s got the best of everything…

What could a guy like me ever really offer?

She's perfect as she can be

Cause she’s so high

High above me, she’s so lovely

She comes to speak to me

I freeze immediately

Cause what she says sounds so unreal…

Reminding myself she was just another spiritual being, but at a distance she was stunning, so beautiful and I wondered what she would be like closer up. This lady with her height would make a good fashion model I thought.  As other travelers were going off in different directions, she kept coming towards me with her high heels, hand bag, and rollaway luggage and she looked slightly confused which is my trigger to reach out to see if I can be of any help.  She says in her deep muscular voice where is the Air Transat check in counter located.  I wanted to give him(?) my longer winded answer and so chose to walk with him or her or whatever and also observe this different person a few seconds more in the process.

“Oh, well, they are located in the international terminal as they have only one check in counter for both domestic and international flights.  You are at Door 6 and you need to walk all the way past Door 16 until you get to the very end of the terminal and then you turn right and they will be located in the far corner of that aisle.”

While giving the same speech for the umpteenth time, I am thinking that this must indeed be a guy, but good grief, it is really hard to tell, the best job I have seen yet. I continue with my talk.

“This is about as far away as you can possibly get, sorry, and they may not be there right now if you are more than three hours before your flight.   You know, I don’t think they really want your business and are hiding so you cannot find them as they will only have to deal with you if you show up."

“Wow, yeah, but at least they are cheap, eh."

“I am just kidding of course as they will give you good service. They only have one counter as agreed with the airport as a cost saving measure since they have a limited number of flights going out and the international terminal is now used for some domestic flights.”

He thanked me with a smile for my comments and he probably got a lot more information than needed and then I left him to carry on. That guy had the best set of big and firm knockers kept in place by his dress, just incredible and his frame was big enough to carry them. It is amazing what they can do in surgery these days! (UL # 4,5)

A smaller framed young lady in baggy casual clothes comes towards me with a loose pair of stained glasses partly down her nose and with her shoulder length hair needing a comb out.  But she was just as lovely in all her youth and charm, humble and defenceless, and perhaps more my taste.  She says in a soft feminine voice:

“Excuse me, but I am looking for Flair Airlines?”

Well, if she only looked around, she could see the sign, a big tall grey one that had in bold white letters FLAIR on it, nicely above the head level of any travelers walking pass.

“Yes, I will show you, come with me.”

I start up some friendly chatter but I do not stop when she sees the sign right in front of her, slightly embarrassed as it was so visible, and she had a little chuckle over it as I continued to escort her to her destination.  I go right up to be only an arm’s length away from the sign; I look up and read out to her the big letters it displayed:

“F__L__A__I__R, yep this is it alright!  Sorry, I am a little short sighted and so was just making sure.”

She knew I was being silly, but thanked me anyways and no doubt will remember the interaction we had. I felt so incredibly comfortable and relaxed with her as if we were compatible (UL #2).

Next came what looked to be a weather-beaten, middle-aged woman, showing a few scars with life, making a beeline towards me wanting to ask something.  Now if there is anyone whom I could possibly mess with, it was going to be her.  You could tell she has been to a few parties in her lifetime and she asked me in her raspy voice and boisterous mannerism:

“Where the hell is gate A01A?"

“Where are you going?"

“Kamloops."

“Why do you want to go there for, when you can be here?"

“Ha, ha. That’s where I live, smart ass, ha ha. So tell me: where’s this gate?”

I chose to bring out from my repertoire a standard joke that I can use in this situation.  I start to rub my chin as I pause to think:

“Hmmm, let me see… oh yeah, I know where it is!  This gate is right beside A01B!"

“Oh, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, now that’s a good one! Ha, ha.  I am so thankful for you white hatters to be here to keep us entertained, that’s for sure, ha ha.”

She chooses to slug my chest playfully with her fist and waits for what I have to say next as she knows kidding aside that I am there to help. I am her buddy. She is now in a relaxed mood and just going with the experience (UL # 11).  I show a map of the gates that I have attached to the back of my security access card which shows the area she needs to go, which is to turn right once in Concourse A to get to where the little planes are located.  I take her far enough so she can see the sign pointing to A Security which once passed through will get her on the concourse that she needs.  She thanks me along with a warm smile of gratitude. 

Eternity

There is Infinity in Eternity

There is very little difference between unconditional love and eternity. The Universe was made from God’s love and it is endless. Unconditional love cannot be put into words for the feeling you have and eternity cannot be put into words for how this could possibly be.

While in the world of the three dimensions it’s common to consider the life of the body as the only real life, while a spiritual worldview posits a life beyond the body.  The world of spirit is a greater life, a changeless life, an eternal life.  The soul is immortal and hence gets depicted in some religions such as Zoroastrianism as a circle without beginning or end.   If I am my body, then as I age, I am over the hill.  If I am spirit, then there is no hill.   If I am my body, then my opportunities are limited.  If I am spirit, there are no limits that circumscribe my existence.  Which universe of thought I choose to inhabit, where I choose to ground myself psychologically and emotionally, is completely up to me.   We can even have the mindset that we are forever young.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwG6g5boyF4

May you never love in vain

In my heart you will always remain…

Forever Young

My Aunt just recently celebrated her 104th birthday. She is healthier now than when she was 96 and shows no signs of dying, but living in the present moment, not in the past. Her memory is sharp and she can still see and hear enough to continue having a life, interacting with visitors and examining any pictures and documents given. My wife told her once when she was crying her eyes out as she thought she was dying to get up and get dressed! She said that if she wanted to live, she had to keep moving. She was not going to die unless she wanted to, just as long as she continued to have the will to live. She was her drill sergeant and something came over her and instead of giving up, she carried on as if there was to be no ending (UL #3). She is quite spiritual these days having experienced so much in life. Now I am expecting to be celebrating her 108th birthday in four years and quite frankly, I cannot see her moving on to the next phase of her life anytime soon.

When all the residents in the care centre got covid, the Delta variant kind, some of her neighbors dropped dead while she did not show any symptoms and was wondering what all the fuss was about with restrictions in place. Her body will eventually give out but there is no hurry for she is still experiencing and getting more out of life. If someone came into her room when she had dozed off all hunched over, they might freak out and think she is dead, but I know otherwise. She never is, only that her body is tired and resting and I only have to wiggle her toes a bit to turn her switch back on. It may take a minute to get focused, but she will get there.

She does complain of aches and pains and that someone is stealing her stuff, but she never gets sick. Her attention to detail is a lot better than mine and she still can taste and enjoy her food if of quality and to her liking. She knows when there should be another issue of the Hello Canada magazine available and she knows absolutely everything there is to know about the British Royal Family. It she gets her cards, there is no one on this planet who can beat her at cribbage. She drives me crazy, yet she is a blessing and I love her dearly.

I know without a doubt that a person will live longer if given enough attention, love, and care to keep a person’s ‘spirits up’. You can try this out with your house plant to know this to be true. It is the stimulation that is needed. My Aunt is blessed to have a wide nucleus of family and friends who stay connected to give her what she needs, including positive energy (UL #2). About the only other advice I can give you based on experience with my Aunt is to eat lots of chocolate pudding! Meanwhile I heard another person in the complex has died of ‘old age’. She was 89.

I noticed a gentleman at the airport close to my age, but laboring painfully when walking slowly with his cane who was on a mission to get on a flight. I could tell that flying was only done when needed and not a source of enjoyment anymore. I could be completely wrong, but it sure looks to me that this person is down on himself and cannot see beyond his physical limitations. It does not help in cases like this if they do not have enough financial clout to get the medical attention he might require as early as possible, or needing to wait for a year or two for that operation. I am sure I could be like him if fate dealt me a heavy blow (UL #1) and therefore, I thank my blessings, my lucky stars (UL #9). This only gives me more incentive to be there in his time of need. We need to be the spark, if possible, to get them going in the right direction in more ways than one.

I don’t think I have met anyone quite as humble as him before. He did not want to walk any further than necessary without having to backtrack. He had his boarding pass, no luggage to check and just wanted to get to his gate wherever that might be so he could sit down. It just so happened he was going in the right direction as he was flying out on gate B32 as showing on the screen display. I walked with him at his pace in a straight line to B Security, then told him once he is through security to walk straight onto the B concourse and B32 will be the first gate on the right. That is about as simple as it can get and he thanked me heartedly for my service for there was no doubt in his mind of what he needed to do.

Sunshine

Opening your heart refers to your spiritual heart that needs to happen in order to go on your journey of enlightenment.  The spiritual heart has no physical form and is limitless.  It is your centre core, your dwelling place of your being and is your connection with the Divine that allows you to let your ‘light’ shine forth and feel the love and oneness you have for others.  Your heart is the key to your deepest fulfillment and doorway to experiencing profound peace, gratitude, joy, safety, and unconditional love.  It is always awake and just needs to be uncovered to allow you to be a ‘sunshine’ for others, which is to radiate warmth, cheer, or happiness, and also positive energy.

My buddy Len was the one that drew the "short straw" for our next customer, so to speak, a business man who wanted to know if there was a UPS or Fedex store nearby.  Len starts to escort him for a few yards to show him its location.  I saw his young daughter following a few yards behind.  Wanting her to be safe and not to get lost in the crowd, I thought it best to strike up a conversation and walk along her side for protection. 

Well, what a polite, young friendly little lady she turned out to be pulling her own special suitcase. She was thrilled to be talking to me, was glowing with a radiant smile, and we were carrying on with the greatest of conversations. Her father turned around once to make sure his family was following, but not again as he saw I was beside her. What I did not know is that the mother was following behind us as well observing the discussion I was having with her daughter. Perhaps I was not needed, but I would not have missed that walk for the world, just her and me talking up a storm (UL #7). When the father could see the UPS store ahead of us, he thanked Len and he could get there now on his own. With his family now caught up and gathered by his side, I watched them go on their own with that little one giving me the friendliest wave goodbye. Now it would be really nice to meet up with them again when they came back from their trip!

We can be like a star for the Universe, a star that always shines, just like that young lady was to me. She is a promise for the future and a blessing here today. She is the next generation who will inherit the world and offer new beginnings, not scarred from past events she does not see and therefore has a more positive outlook for the future. Hopefully she will do things differently from our generation and not fall into the same trap that we can often find ourselves in, stuck in negativity and fear of the future. I remind myself I am helping them get started in life by being a positive influence. We just need to wind them up the right way so they get the most out of life and to make this world a better place. We still need to caution them for everything that is wrong, but not necessarily deal with it the same way we did, but allow them to create their own path and establish some new order of principals to follow (UL #3).

We need to protect our children by not keep fighting with one another. On television they show the funeral of a little child who was killed in the Ukrainian war and the broken heart of a father at her graveside. I can relate most since I am a father myself. I watched him study the picture of his innocent little defenseless daughter with her beaming smile, his little sunshine, his little angel of love, and I watched him sob uncontrollably. This only brought tears to my eyes for the hopelessness of his situation, the pain and suffering he will feel in his heart from this day forth (UL #1). He can only rely on his faith in the day that he will be able to be with his loved once again, to hold her in his arms.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are gray

You'll never know, dear how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away

The other night dear as I lay sleeping

I dreamt I held you in my arms

And now that you’re here, my dreams are waking

And I will keep you from all harm

I’ll always love you and make you happy

I’ll always pick you up when you’ve fallen down

You turn the sky blue when it is raining

You always keep the sunshine around

On My Honor

Names have been changed for privacy and protection

Some things never die, only change perhaps with time. We need to keep bringing forward those principals from the past that are worth their weight in gold. Now it is my turn to find someone I can count on, someone I can trust (UL #4). As I open the door to enter this auto shop that I have known to exist for what seems like forever, I know this continues to be a family business. The generation I knew had passed away (UL #11) and their son was now the man of the hour, the one that was carrying on in his father’s footsteps, but not someone who I recall having met before. I had turned away from using this shop because we had a round of new vehicles that needed little repair and I got caught up in making use of the service dealers to keep our vehicles road worthy. Our own children had finished growing up and left home since we used them last.

But vehicles get older despite being well maintained and you get to the point that it may not be that practical to keep taking them back to the dealers for service, always buying new parts, and then you start to question the need for certain repairs based on recommendation. I know this is a way to encourage us to open our wallet and purchase a brand new auto that you see available, so shiny and sparkly, just glistening in the show room, so luxurious and comfortable and clean… and so expensive! As I had previously gained great admiration and respect for the original owner of this shop as someone you could trust with his honesty and professional opinion and reasonable prices charged for service offering, I decided to give this business another try.

As I enter, I glance up to see what looked to be the oddest picture, but what proved to be the most appropriate. It is good to take notice of things you see, to be conscious in the present moment. Encased in glass was the original owner’s royal blue work coveralls neatly folded, with his nametag ‘Blayne’ on full display. I had never seen his coveralls so clean before! Also showing was what had been published in the local newspaper that summarized his life and for what he stood for. Blayne will always be there in his shop for what could be an eternity.

The counter was the same with an office behind it to do any administrative and billing duties. The woman behind the counter must have been the wife of the new owner, and she had two children of school age behind her doing homework, or reading a book before school started since it was early morning. Such a wholesome responsible lady I thought who took interest in me the same that I did of her, like we had known each other for a thousand years. She looked so comfortable like she belonged after she married into the position, a natural, just perfect for the business to keep things orderly (UL #2).

Then it dawned on me that I have seen this scene before with the previous generation. When Blayne was running the show, there was a time when his own wife was there with two kids either doing homework or reading a book! But that was like 25 years ago and now the next generation was in place! There were several people in the waiting area, a busy place. Before getting to the counter, I had a second look at the picture and the message it delivered and I remembered him. I am sure others studied my action since I was the new person in the room, yet showing I was getting on with age. She greeted me when I came over to the counter wondering what she could help me with.

“I seem to have just a little problem with my CRV and wish to speak to…I believe his name is Ken, the owner?

“Certainly.  He is right behind you.”

Sure enough, there he was, a handsome young man who was in the waiting area the whole time, a man who looked of responsibility and showing signs of integrity already as I sized him up with initial impression.  I had a message for him as I studied his eyes and watched him listen attentively.

“If you treat me half as good as your father did in taking care of my vehicles then I will be satisfied!” (UL #5)

Words can be so powerful if told in the right way.  I could tell from the expression on his face that I got him good in his soft spot.  I got through his barriers and reached his home base with my message.  No pressure for what was said, or perhaps there was as he needed to meet my expectations for service… what his father would want him to.  We had a chat for what needed to be done, and for two used vehicles I might add.  I told him that I did not recall ever meeting him before, but he did remember me, even if it was when he was a young lad behind the counter with his mother at the time.

“Look, I just need you to take good care of my autos, fix what’s wrong to make them road worthy so they are safe and reliable, and for you to not replace anything that is fine the way it is, then to charge me a reasonable price for your service.”

Is this not what we all want from an auto shop?  Everyone needs people who we can trust and if I was going to use him for my autos, I needed to be able to trust him.  I recall once when driving my truck to Arizona to pick up a U-Haul and bring some furniture back and I had pulled into this service station.  A mechanic put weight on the front of the truck causing it to bounce up and down, then said I really needed to replace the shocks, especially if I was going to pull a heavy load of furniture up north.  The truck had 80,000 km. on it at the time.  I politely said no, but as he was a mechanic, it was always in the back of my mind that perhaps I should replace the shocks as the odometer kept rolling along over the years.  Now the vehicle had gone twice as far and I suggested to Ken that perhaps they should be replaced, but based on his inspection, they were fine still!  Thankyou!!

Two vehicle jobs were done, including fixing the air conditioning in the CRV for about 40 percent less that what the dealer was going to charge.  But I had a new problem a few weeks later and so I get on the phone to make an appointment.  I talk to the lady who must have been still behind the counter and I recognized her voice right away even though I only met her that one time.

“Yeah, I am hearing this ‘thump, thump, thump’ sound when I press my foot on the brake."

“Well, that certainly does not sound good."

“It is coming from the back wheel passenger side…”

She sets me up an appointment at an agreed time.

When I arrive, Ken is on vacation, but there was his right-hand assistant and mechanic, Nathan ‘holding the fort’ in Ken’s absence.  He carefully listens to me describe the noise I was hearing and types information into my service ticket for referral.  It just so happened that when I drove the CRV to the shop, the noise seemed to have stopped and I hoped he would be able to hear it first hand still if he took the vehicle for a test drive.  After doing a thorough inspection of the brakes and supporting mechanisms, he phoned later and said he found nothing wrong and no odd sound was detected when he took the vehicle for a drive around the block.  I paid for one half hour of his time when I picked it up, even though I knew it may not be fixed, but I could not explain why it stopped making ‘the noise’.  He did say that if the noise came back, to pick him up to drive around the block so that he could hear it first hand.

I drove the vehicle a few times over the weekend, taking it once out of the city on a road trip and on all but the first drive taken, I heard the noise when I braked.  I took the SUV back for a second time, picked up Nathan for a drive when he sat in the back seat and he could really hear the problem this time.  I left the vehicle with him again.  We talked more about the noise and we both decided it happened more when I lightly applied the brakes, even though there was nothing mechanically wrong.  I mentioned that it was rather embarrassing pulling up to a red light or braking to stop in our neighborhood since the CRV kept making this noise to suggest something serious was wrong.  He phoned later in the day to ask if they could have the vehicle until morning.  Because I had another vehicle, no problem.

The next morning, I walk into the shop and Ken is back, covered from head to foot in car dirt, just like his father used to be.  He had some good news for me.

“We thoroughly cleaned up the brakes and took the SUV for a drive and heard no noise.  We are quite sure the problem is fixed now.”

I had some doubt since they could not find anything wrong before, but now that Ken was back, perhaps cleaning the brakes was all that was needed since I have a tendency to baby the brakes when coming to a stop and they themselves were probably really testing the brakes to make sure they stopped the auto.

“Ok fine, how much do I owe you now?"

“Nothing, as we need you to be a satisfied customer.” (UL #12)

That caught me by surprise a bit for what he said and I did not know how to respond.

“Take the auto home and drive it for a few days to see if the noise comes back. If you are satisfied that the problem is fixed, then give us a call and we can settle up.”

Ken had the sincerest expression on his face in all his dirt, in that he wanted me to be happy with his service before paying him off. My relationship was important and he wanted to get it right. He trusted me completely to leave his shop with my CRV without paying! How many auto shops will do that? Ken was treating me like his father would as if he knew me his whole lifetime. He had demonstrated the type of relationship he wanted to have based on trust, which was the same relationship I had with his father, an honorable man of respect (UL#7). I was a free man to decide on my own that I was satisfied that the job was done. Another customer of his overheard the conversation for the no charge call and she had a smile on her face as if to say lucky me!

I drove the vehicle for four more days, not hours and I found no more noise.  I figured I had given enough time to know that the noise was definitely not coming back and it was time to settle up.  I emailed Ken to let him know that the problem has been fixed, starting with ‘good job fellas’ and to let me know how much I owe in charges beyond what was charged initially and that I would drop by the shop to pay by credit card.  He responded with what I considered to be a reasonable amount for the balance owing.

When I dropped by the next day, Ken’s wife is there, whose name I learned to be Dawn. She knows who I am already when I walked through the door to meet her for the second time. Maybe I impressed her as much as she did for me. We started some friendly chatter and during that time there was only the two of us and in the most pleasant voice and the warmest smile, she called me ‘Mr. Adrian’, as if she had known me for an infinity (UL#8). I had this warm fuzzy feeling come over me for I had her for myself for the moment, completely comfortable accepting each other just the way we were and our trust, care and respect for one another was undoubted (UL#1).

I have what I was looking for in this shop as it is made from love. Love is the truth and knowing the truth I now know I can trust this business. It was always here as it never went away, only carried on as before (UL# 11). I look forward to bringing my vehicles back for further service when needed!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0dIWJ4t4Jg

Through it all, my eyes are on you

And it is well with me

It is well with my soul

You will always be

Let me be guided by the wisdom of my heart.

Our physical eyes don’t register the deepest truth of who we are, what’s truly happening, or what things mean. There is, however, an inner eye, the opening of which is the purpose of our lives.  Today I will extend my perception beyond what my physical eyes can see. Saluting the love that lies beyond the veil of physical appearances, I will invoke a world that lies beyond. My eyes will open to a truer truth.  I will not be blinded by the world and not be guided by worldly sight alone. I seek true vision, that I might see.

-        Marianne Williamson