Are you all familiar with Juliet Cleary? She says that you don't manifest, you have to DECIDE! This made me think of what @Yvette Muhammad always declares.

Here is the rest of Chapter 1: The first thing I did was talk to John. “Of course,” he said, without hesitation. I had regaled him with stories about Lydia and had always wanted to meet her. Now he would not only meet her; he would have the opportunity to live with her. There was one tiny complication, and I mean physically small. Mittens, a dainty Siamese mix with a sweet, distinctive line down the center of her face, and the temperament of a lullaby. I had adopted her from the friend I’d rented a room from before she went bankrupt. At the time, Mittens appeared to be dying. I thought I was giving her hospice care, but I ended up snatching her from the jaws of death. We had a special bond that I could not break. We were confident, though, that we could work it out. Mittens had previously lived with two other cats and two dogs. She had learned how to share space, if not always gracefully, then at least without open warfare. We told ourselves it would be fine. Two cats, one house, and a careful introduction period. People did it all the time. I called Courtney and said yes—yes, of course, yes. She booked Lydia’s flight to San Jose. The cat would be traveling alone, crated and cargoed, from one life to another. As soon as Courtney had the details, she sent me the flight number, the date and time. I walked around for days like I was drunk on joy. It was a rare state for me, to feel that light. Then, a few days later, while I was at the dentist, my phone rang. Normally, I would have let it go to voicemail. But something nudged me to look. Texas area code. Lydia’s layover was in Texas. “Do you mind if I take this?” I asked the hygienist. “Go ahead,” she said, and let me step out of the room. The woman on the line introduced herself as an airline worker. “I have a cat here named Lydia” she said. “The paperwork says she’s going to San Jose, Costa Rica. But your address says San Jose, California. Which is correct?” For a second, the world tilted. I pictured Lydia, blind and disoriented, emerging in a country where no one was waiting for her.

I'm almost finished writing Chapter One of my memoir. Since I wanted to show you what I'm doing and how I'm doing, I thought I would post part of my first chapter here. I will post my outline as Shawn instructs in his Wordsmith manual for feedback once I've finished that. But I wanted to draft the chapter first so I can get an idea of where it's headed. So here it is: The Cat Who Returned Through the Clouds Have you ever wished upon a star? Has the cosmos ever answered your prayer? A long time ago, I made a wish—not on a star, but on the wind. It was an ordinary day in Colorado, the air thin, the light bright, the mountains quietly watching. I made the wish offhandedly and let it go like a leaf on a stream, without ceremony, one small thought among the countless thoughts that crossed my mind. Some five years later, long after I’d forgotten it, the wish found its way back to me. A miracle for someone like me who stumbled through life as if I didn’t have eyes to see nor ears to hear. I always felt unsure, unmoored. I remember once a group therapist told us that people like us—adult children of dysfunctional families—needed advice more than most. But didn’t everyone? I often suspected the human race had been sculpted by an unskilled potter with poor aim. Dysfunction wasn’t the exception—it was the design. If advice were the cure, the entire world needed a prescription. At the time, I was living in California, in Silicon Valley, in that unsettled state that feels like being mid-step on a staircase: not on the floor below, not yet on the floor above. I rented a room from a friend until I found my own apartment. It was then that I met the man who would become my husband—a quiet software engineer named John. A psychic once told me I’d meet someone like him, but by then I treated predictions like weather reports from another planet. I consulted psychics only because I didn’t know what else to do. Therapists weren’t remotely helpful either. At least, psychics were cheaper, more time efficient, and occasionally, comforting. Still, none of them had steered my life in any sort of meaningful way. John did that simply by showing up.

So, I believe I am supposed to share this here. @Shawn Helgerson if I am doing this wrong, let me know. This is my premise: I grew up without a model for how to live, and only later realized that my blind cat—simply by existing—offered me a map for courage, presence, and unconditional being. I believe this creates a good framework for the book. What do you say?

Since this group is called the Abundance Institute, I thought I might as well write about abundance, lol. 😉 I have not actually seen any $$$ yet -- however, as we know, abundance is more than money. Though money definitely helps and is welcome, always, always, welcome! (I'm talking to you, money!) I have started a daily hour-long daily practice of qigong via zoom by a couple of qigong masters. It's completely free! Ever since I started that, my sleep has improved! For people who know me, this is a miracle!!! I have been experiencing hard-core insomnia for more than 10 years now and I have tried everything, and I mean everything!!! Last night, I got almost 6 hours of sleep. Again, for me, that is like a miracle. Then a friend told me about a daily drawing class via zoom later this month by a nature artist. That is just so, so very cool! I love drawing, and this will not only motivate me, I will get some tips on drawing from nature! Just received an early Christmas gift from an old friend. And another one is on the way from a different friend. This one is meant to help me with my frequency!!! Help heal me physically, mentally, and emotionally! It's not cheap, and I would not have been able to afford such a device. I am eagerly looking forward to it! This same friend also gave me a free remote healing session on the Rife machine. I am just so grateful to my friends, to the universe, and just life itself! ❤️❤️💝🙏❤️🙏