KAJAMA.COM NEWSLETTER

by Sheila Burke

Did you ever have one of those moments when you find an answer in just the right moment in time? That happened to me today. Last month, my husband and I opened a thrift/antique store. It's a side business in a small building we have been unable to sell in the down economy. The building has been and is currently inhabited by the previous owner's spirit. His name was Mike. Chairs move, footsteps are heard, swings swing all by themselves at a steady pace for almost an hour, and the little boy that lived upstairs had an invisible older playmate that occupied much of his time. Mike used to run a music studio and give lessons. In fact, while renovating, an old guitar fell from the drop ceiling right smack onto my head!

Business was slow when we first opened the thrift store, and once we said, Hey Mike, can you drive some customers in here so we can keep the lights on? Within 30 seconds, a steady stream of people came in making purchases. Since we've opened, we've had a little sign taped to the cash register that says, Ask Mike to send customers and thank him. We also talk to him every day we are there. We say, Good Morning, Mike, How ya doin’, Mike, things like that.

Anyhow, I am generally the one who works the store four days a week. This is in addition to running our mainstay business (a window cleaning company), working on my zen Facebook page, blogging and most importantly – taking care of my family and house. It's quite exhausting sometimes, but bringing in a little extra income is a must these days.

I came home yesterday afternoon thinking, Do I really want to do this anymore? I even told a friend just this morning that I feel like I've got my hands in too many things, and I'm unable to give my full attention to any of them. So I dragged myself down to the store this morning and pulled up the window blinds for my five-hour stint. I took a book off the bookshelf of dollar books and plopped down in my chair. I still contemplated in the back of my mind if I wanted to continue this venture or not.

People trickled in and out and I made two small sales, not enough to pay for the electricity for the day. A nice lady came in wanting to purchase a bunch of old 78s for a Victrola, but she didn't have enough cash, so I went against my own policy and accepted a check. An older man popped his head in the door and asked if we buy things. I told him not generally (you should see what people want to sell you sometimes), but I'd take a look, all the while thinking that all I had was $20 in the register and a check that I wasn't even sure was good!

Well, I ended up buying an old camera and three old railroad lanterns from him for the $20. Two of the lanterns were a hot rusty mess, but one was in okay shape. Now, I can strike up a conversation anywhere, and this guy was looking for someone to unload his life story on, so we began an hour-long conversation. We laughed about life, we talked politics and religion, and he told me stories of his days as a Navy Seal in Vietnam. He slowly pulled down his sock and showed me a badly healed wound in his ankle while his face puffed up and his eyes began to tear as he recounted how poorly he was treated upon his return home.

I also discovered that he's been writing books, but has never talked to a publisher. I told him I self publish, and how it's the way to go now, and gave him the information that got me to where I am now in my writing. I felt like he was an old friend by the time he left. I began to think about how much I like it when people like this come in. To hear their stories, and in many cases to feel them. The laughter, the tears.

I was just about to close up when another lady came in. She bought some old window shutters last week and was picking them up. She arrived five minutes before closing. I felt a silent groan when she appeared, but welcomed her with a smile. She chatted for 25 minutes, well past closing. People walking by saw the door open and filed in. The shutter-lady smiled and whispered, Sorry, it's my fault you are still here, but maybe one of these customers will be good for you! and she was on her way. No one bought anything, and as soon as they left, I hurried straight to the blinds and turned the Open sign around to Closed. I had one more blind to draw when I saw a van pull up. Ughhh, really? I peeked my head through the door, smiled, waved, and mouthed, It's okay, come on in.

The couple said they were from out of town. They happened to be driving past and wanted to stop and see the building because the man's father had owned the building previously. I said, Ahh! Mike! and then I looked at him, widening my eyes, and said, You know...your dad is still here. I proceeded to explain all the little noises, bumps, chair pushing and happenings in the place over the years. I even showed them our ask Mike sign by the cash register. They were quite fascinated, and I was really happy to have met them. I also explained how, when I brought the old guitar back (that had cracked me in the head) and hung it on the wall, the activity seemed to calm down a LOT.

While the couple looked around at all the renovations and recounted old times, we talked about all the spirit happenings some more, and I offered them the guitar. They thought it over, but then they decided that Mike would like it to remain there. The man purchased a few rock and roll music items, and they gave me their contact information for when either I was ready or they were ready to receive their dad's guitar back. Mike's son wished me all the best success, and said it was nice meeting me. Then before closing the door, he smiled a wistful smile, looked around, and said, Goodbye, Dad.

So my Aha! moment, as dear Oprah would call it, was that I've opened this store for a purpose of earning a little extra cash and helping to upkeep this money pit of a building, and in doing so, I'm meeting new people, hearing wonderful tales, and enjoying old souls.

I think I'll stick with it for awhile and see what transpires. 🙂

Sheila Burke is a married mom of three beautiful and strong young adults. Always a dabbler in putting pen to paper, Burke finally started publishing her books in 2010 with the release of her first book, Zen-Sational Living. Although she freely admits to losing her Zen now and then, this inspirational author is pleased to share her life's journey with her readers, and has done so in the many titles she has released over the years, on her blog, and through social media. To explore her wonderful books, visit her author's page at Amazon. She can be contacted via her website, ZensationalLiving.com, or her popular Facebook page, BeZensational.

This is regarding my sister, who passed away a year ago. She committed suicide because she was depressed about her wedding getting called off twice. When she first died, I had dreams about her; now not so much. I keep wondering if she is happy now or if she is sad about leaving us. How can I know if she has crossed over and is at peace? Relatives have dreamed of her as a bride. Is this just our imagination, or is she showing herself like this because she wanted to get married before she died? I pray for a sign from her. Is she not coming back and talking to family because she feels guilty? Are souls who commit suicide punished? I wish I could talk to her; I would probably ask her to stay with our family forever. When I talk to her picture, I feel she is talking to me like when she was alive. I am not sure if this is really her talking to me in my mind or if I'm just imagining it. I know these are a lot of questions, but please help: you guys are the only ones helping us to solve these mysteries.

M.

Susyn:

Losing a loved one is always difficult, but it's especially so when they take their own lives. Often their spirits come to us through dreams or signs, which offer confirmation that they have made it to the other side. Though there may appear to be lapses between the times we can sense their presence, they are always near.

I am sure that your sister is sad about leaving you, but I do feel that she has made peace with what happened and is now happy. The burdens and disappointments of her recent life were simply too much to bear. Now that she is in the spirit world, she has more awareness of why things turned out the way they did.

Your sister comes dressed as a bride to identify herself and perhaps to communicate the reason she felt she could no longer stay on the earth plane. Her perception of life and of being married has changed because things are different where she is now. I feel that she hopes that appearing in a bridal gown will let you all know that she is finally at peace.

It can be difficult for a spirit to make their presence known if the people they are visiting are too wrapped up in their own emotions and grief. Though you may not be aware of them, your sister sends many signs to you and your family. When we search for signs or look too hard, we can miss the obvious. You may be feeling guilty about not being able to stop her from taking her own life. She does not want anyone to blame themselves, as this was her choice.

When you talk to your sister's picture, I'm sure she can hear you. The conversations you two have are very real even though the messages are exchanged mentally instead of physically. You can trust what you hear and believe what she says.

I encourage you to watch for other signs that your sister is around. Perhaps a favorite song of hers will come on the radio, someone will use phrases specific to her, or you will smell scents that remind you of her. When this happens, she may be trying to send you a sign to pull out her picture so you can have a telepathic chat.

Souls who commit suicide are not punished, nor are they blocked from reaching out to connect with their loved ones. There is a difference between suicides and those who die natural deaths, however: much to their surprise, suicides still have to find spiritual ways to work out the issues that caused them to give up on life.

Please know that your sister is happy and doing well, and is never far from you and your family. Even though she may not visit in your dreams anymore, you can still call on her whenever you like, and emotionally connect with her much as you did when she was still in the land of the living.

*****

Oceania:

I'm so sorry for your loss. I encourage you to seek support through individual counseling, a bereavement group, or an online community like pos-ffos.com. As you dig deeper into this healing process, you may discover that your questions are intellectual exercises that are keeping you from grieving. You may believe you'd feel better if you knew all the answers, but we often have to live with not knowing some things, for not all questions can be answered.

What WILL make you feel better is grieving: acknowledging and expressing all of your feelings, even the irrational ones. Feelings aren't right or wrong - they just are. You may feel guilty because you're wondering if you could have helped your sister, or find it hard to enjoy YOUR life when she chose to end hers. I'm sure you also feel sad and mad. You may understand that her act was not personal, but it's still normal to feel like she gave up and abandoned you.

Most of us survive life's disappointments. Those who turn to suicide have usually been struggling with mental illness for some time, and have rigid, unrealistic beliefs. To endure life's unexpected twists, we must remain flexible and humble while keeping our sense of self strong and our self-worth intact. As is often said, life is what happens when you're busy making other plans!

I don't believe anyone is punished for committing suicide. I'm confident your sister is at peace and is receiving the healing and wisdom she needs to move forward. I know she wants the best for you as you continue your earthly journey. I also believe she IS communicating with you as you speak to her picture, so tell her everything you're feeling and listen for her replies. She has found compassion and forgiveness for herself, so while she's not in a place of feeling guilty, she is sorry for the pain she caused you and others.

I drew a tarot card to represent each of you. For you, it's IX, The Hermit, a card about individual strength and walking a path of integrity. For her, it's XIV, Art, which follows the Death card! The meaning of this is rebirth and creating something new from the old. I asked her if there was a message she wished to give you, and drew the 10 of Cups, Passion! It is the most vibrant card in my deck, full of huge tropical flowers bursting into red, orange, yellow and purple blossoms.

There is a golden winged Lion in the center of the card. I don't know if either of you is a Leo, but Leo's message is surely to live large and let your light shine. More than any other card in the deck, this one is about being open to receiving life's gifts, which I think is a lovely message from her to you!

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.