Reiki and Alzheimer's

This will be a short post but I must write something. I spent time with a most gracious, elderly lady yesterday. Intelligent, polite, friendly and losing her mind, one memory at a time. Pardon me if this description of alzheimer's is not medically accurate, but my first encounter and this is how it appears to me.

I cried this morning, it just broke my heart for her to awaken and tell me that she doesn't know why she is 'there' (in her home), who I am ( I spent last evening with her)... wondering where her husband is (he died several years ago) or how her sofa got in this place (she and her husband bought the home about ten years ago).

I held my tears til I left. When I got to my computer I googled "reiki alzheimer's" and found that even the US Government is studying the positive results of Reiki on alzheimer's patients, and all the positive results obtained.

I've been sending distance treatments to her today. I will continue this evening.

I promise

I promise to post a new picture today. My hair is so much shorter, spunkier! I'm enjoying Chicago, currently exploring the northwestern side, which seems like it should be the northeastern side although I guess there is no northeastern side to Chicago! I like Evanston. I've gotten as far north as Waukegan. Come back later today, I ~promise~ a current photo rather than this one that was taken about a year ago.

What happened to ageout.org?

First of all I want to provide an update on ageout.org, the nonprofit organization that I wrote a business plan for last year. I really thought it was such a great idea; it was hard to believe that no one else had thought of it! Well, they had. I found that a non-profit organization in Oregon was already performing this service and doing a great job of it. www.fosterclub.com - A great cause, helping teens who age out of foster care, find internships, education assistance and support.

Please support them if you are so inclined.This is a social network for teens who are aging out of foster care with a directory of opportunities for them and a network of supportive adults.

Be sure and follow the link to find out the incredible journey this awesome teen is on: Meet me half way

Reiki in Michigan

According to Google Analytics, Fridays are my best days for visitors although Wednesdays are a close runner up. Most people have me saved as a favorite or set up for an RSS feed and come directly to the site. They also come from blogger.com, Google and Bing searches, Transition Michigan, Wayne State University, Yahoo, Face book and LinkedIn! Yikes!

Most searches that bring people to this site are related to Reiki and I’m finding that Reiki is growing in popularity in the local area as well. Increased awareness is great, and isn’t that one of the greatest gifts we receive from all this Internet stuff? I’m sorry the newspapers had to die out as a consequence, but newspapers had to be so limited in their coverage even though they were frequently the only source of information to the general population. With the Internet we are unlimited in scope and depth.

I guess I better get going on this scope and depth of Reiki … I don’t know what to say, I wasn’t expecting this to be so popular, but I’m loving it.

Bucharest?

Wow, I love Google analytics. I can see the city my visitors are in. I can determine how they got here – Facebook, direct-link, Google search, etc. I’m amazed, especially, to see that I have International visitors - Hello Romania! Perhaps that can be traced to my FB links to friends in New Zealand – thanks Marc for that! I can even tell how long they stay on my site and number of pages they visit.

What I can’t see is who they are. I sure do wish you’d say hello.

Reiki – What is it?

The question I am asked most frequently, I think the name Reiki is deceptive in today’s society. Originating as a formal school of thought in Japan, it’s most basic form originates in a parent’s hands as they hold a crying baby. The sense of touch and the love that radiates from one’s hands doesn’t need formal training to be expressed. So why take a class?

The amount of healing energy that radiates from one’s hands can be increased through focused thought and clearing of the pathway. How is that done? Through education and Attunement, the amount of healing energy that radiates from a person’s hands can be increased. What is even better is that the healing energy can come through one’s thoughts without the actual touch!

If you don’t believe that one’s thoughts are transmitted, you have never walked into a situation where someone was angry with you and you knew instantly before a word was uttered or you saw their face. You have never entered a gathering and intuitively gathered that some big news was afloat. Verbal and body language clues perhaps, what about the thoughts of someone unseen and then the phone call comes? What about the thoughts to call someone and when you do, they remark that they were just thinking of you?

Thoughts move across time and space without limitation of physical laws. Intention to send positive thoughts can accelerate the process. You may or may not want to heal from a physical illness, a debilitating condition, mental stress, anxiety or pain. Why not? Read “Why People Don’t Heal and how they can” by Caroline Myss. We get ‘something’ out of sickness, lack and pain. But that’s another story for another day. Watch for it.

Today I’m talking about someone who truly desires healing and the possibility of that occurring without a pill or invasive surgery. Can we turn up the volume on the amount of healing energy that can come through a practitioner’s hands or a friend’s thoughts? Absolutely, I’ve seen it firsthand.

I burned my hand one day. It was a minor burn but uncomfortable. A few family members and friends were at my home and one ran to the bathroom for ‘medicine’ while another reached for the ice in the refrigerator. My Reiki student knew that what I desired was for her to send healing thoughts and turn up the volume and intensity of healing energy immediately, directed toward my burn. Quickly she did this while I stood silently, apart from her, and opened myself to receive. The burn feeling stopped immediately.

My niece looked quizzically at me while she stammered, “I thought you were kidding about this Reiki stuff”. Nope, serious as a heart attack.

Chicago

I’m taking the train today, Amtrak, heading to Chicago. My beautiful, darling son is there with his wife and children. I asked him once how he learned to be such a good dad. His answer was that I showed him by being both. You don’t get many compliments like that one in a lifetime.

My niece is there with her husband and little boy, plus her big boy who has developed into a good friend as he reached adulthood a few years ago and became an artist and world traveler. Those don’t usually get combined but they did in his case. He was doing air-brushed art at Disney and a New Zealand couple took an interest in his work and now it’s offered on t-shirts on the Island on the other side of the world. I’m looking forward to a more in-depth chat about how his visit went.

Trains are a great way to travel. I enjoyed flying from the first time I got on a Michigan-winter flight to Florida back in the early 70’s. Went by myself and enjoyed every minute of the thrill. Back then the last few rows in the plane were reserved for smokers! Planes changed and while the smoking in closed quarters without any open-windows would be an issue, a bigger one is the rules and regulations requiring shoes, coats and belts to be removed, taking the laptop out of the case, everything in baskets and then on the plane, the seats up and down, trays, electronic devices. Give me a train today.

Trains are easy. You can reserve at the last minute, show up at the last minute, pay in cash, none of that credit card required to be scanned. Change your seat, move around, and take a break by walking back to the dining card and sitting down to have a coffee and bagel. Not the best food to be sure, but available. I can stretch out and open my laptop or read a book or sleep and five hours later, I switch trains in downtown Chicago.

A few blocks away from the Amtrak station is the Metra station. I get to walk along Chicago River and remember the summer jaunts I’ve taken on the Water Taxi. I love Chicago. Navy Pier is a favorite place in the spring and summer.

I visited Tall Ships Chicago in 2006. This year's event is still in the planning stages, but starts August 24th and they are looking for volunteers. Hmmm, if I'm still in the area...

Ships from all over the world, all sailed into Chicago on the same August morning for the Festival. A few of the local tour boat companies offered special cruises during the festival and my grandson and I were in one of these that was heading out into the lake as the ships were sailing in. Phenomenal day, never to be forgotten.

Unfortunately, it is March and not much going on this weekend in Chicago, at least not that I’ll be involved in, just a family visit. It’s good to have family.