I heard God say, “SIT STILL.” I said, “Sit still? You have to be kidding me. I have to do something to make my house sell quickly.” If you are anything like me and I suspect you are, sitting still is not easy, especially when it is important and you think you should do something NOW.

I had my open house last week and one person showed up and they weren’t interested. I handled it well and stay focused and peaceful by using my affirmations such as “Thank you God for the right and perfect person who will buy my house, for the right and perfect price and perfect timing.” However, the next day I received a call from my real estate agent informing me that a house on the next street just went on the market for $5,000 less than mine and it had a garage and hardwood floors, which mine didn’t have. “What do you think I should do?” I asked him. “You may want to lower the price $10,000 so you will be more marketable” he said. I instantly felt panicked as I clicked off the remaining days in my head that I have left before returning to Maui.

I wanted to be in alignment with God’s will and didn’t want to react from a place of fear, so I prayed and asked for guidance and a dream that night. I knew I needed to “Go Within” rather than seeking advice from family and friends because I knew they would all have different opinions on what I should do. I trusted God would guide me and show me the way.  Sometimes, walking in faith doesn’t make sense to the rational mind. It made perfect sense to lower the price, but my gut was saying something different. And God was saying, “SIT STILL.” I recently came across something that I wrote in my journal in 1998. “You must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose.”  When I look back over my life, there have been many occasions when what I was doing didn’t make sense, but I followed my heart and it to turned out to be best thing to do.

The next morning when I awoke, I remembered my dream and I knew exactly what it meant. In the dream, I was riding my bike and racing to get to a cruise ship so I wouldn’t miss it. When I got there, the ship had already left. I was missing the boat – which meant I wasn’t seeing the bigger spiritual picture (learning to let go of control and trust in the higher plan.) It became clear to me that my racing was about my wanting to control this process, which was coming from a place of fear and panic. To bring peace back into my life, I chose to surrender and let go of the timing and the HOW my house would sell. Because God’s grace and presence is so evident in my daily life, I tend to minimize that what I am doing by moving across the world and leaving my family, home and friends to follow my heart, is huge. I shared with my friend, “I think I am getting a PHD in FAITH.” She laughed and said, “You sure are.”

The day before my first open house, I went down my basement and noticed a big puddle of water on the floor. I looked up and saw it was coming from the pipes overhead. I started to panic because it wouldn’t look to good if the pipes were leaking.  I didn’t know who to call to help me. “Stay calm, Pat, it will work out,” I said to myself and then asked God for help.  A few minutes later, I received a call about the 2 air conditioners that I was selling on Craig’s list. He said he lived close by and would be there in 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, I went back down the basement to try to figure out where the water was coming from (Are you kidding me? I know nothing about leaky pipes)! When the doorbell rang, I ran upstairs and brought this man down to the basement so he could look at the air conditioners, which he ending up buying. Because I was a little desperate, I asked, “Do you know anything about pipes?” He said, “Not really, but what is the problem?” I pointed to the pipe that was leaking. He reached up and just tightened it and the problem was solved! Of course, I thanked him profusely.

Then he looked around and asked, “Are you selling that fire extinguisher?” I answered, “Yes and I have another one upstairs.” He seemed pleased and said, ” I will use it at my business and in my church.” Of course, my curious mind started asking questions about his church and what he does there. He told me he was a deacon. I told him, “I am a woman of faith.” I went upstairs to get the other fire extinguisher and heard God say, “I want you to give him your book.”  I listened and grabbed one of my books. When I came back and gave him my book, he looked really pleased.  I don’t know where I got the nerve but I said, “Would you like me to speak at your church some Sunday?”  He smiled and said, “Yes, I will speak to my pastor this weekend.”  Not only did I sell the 2 air conditioners, my leaking pipe was fixed and I got a speaking gig out of the deal. Not bad!
This journey for me is about letting go of whatever is no longer useful in my life. My whole life has flashed before me as I go through albums and boxes of pictures that I had saved for years. I found report cards from when I was 10 years old, pictures of great-grandparents, my children, family vacations, dances, proms, old boyfriends, my wedding and sorority friends. Was I ready to let go of the pictures that I held onto for so long? I kept saying, “You must let go of the old so the new can come.” My daughter came over and helped me pack up the albums and she will keep the ones I am saving at her home. Of course, I will be taking some pictures with me that I just cannot let go of.

I wasn’t expecting the onslaught of tears as I came across pictures of my mother who died at age 44 when I was only 21 years old.  I still miss my mother and I asked God in that moment to help me feel her presence. In prayer that morning, I heard her say,  “I am very proud of you.” Later that night, I was invited to a FREE open house of alternative healers and angel readings. During my card reading, my mother “showed up” and told me through this reader that she was proud of me. I was blown away and very grateful that God heard my prayers and I was able to feel my mother’s presence.

Here is another example of how God provides. I went to Staples to return some computer paper I hadn’t used. Since I didn’t have the receipt, the clerk gave me a credit slip in the amount of  $12.42.  I needed tape to pack my boxes to send to Maui. I thanked God that they were on sale and bought several rolls. When I went to pay for it (just a couple of minutes later), the total came to $12.40. I was 2 cents short. The clerk smiled and said, “You left these 2 pennies on the counter when I gave you the credit slip back.” I didn’t leave any pennies! I smiled and said, “Thank you” because I knew that was God assuring me that He was taking care of me. I left the store and said to myself, “Did that really happen?” You may think, what’s the big deal, it is only 2 cents. I thought, if God provided 2 cents, He can provide $2,000 and $20,000 and more.

My lessons have been many and will continue to come. I know how important it is to ask for what you need and trust the answer will come. Be willing to listen and TRUST your intuition because your answers are within. Sometimes, we need to act and sometimes we need to SIT STILL and trust that God is in charge and working things out for our good. Once we make the decision to trust and follow God, the peace returns. I am grateful for God’s grace, which has given me the courage to follow my heart and live my dreams.

God has a sense of humor! I have shared that one of my symbols is the ladybug. Was I ever surprised when the ladybug “showed up” on my pillow when I was making the bed this morning and it was “SITTING STILL.”